Water Stones
by XQR
Summary: From their very first meeting as children to realisations and becoming an item. This is just a sappy OTP fic where I write my headcanon of how Originshipping came to be featuring fluffy dates and first times, etc.
1. Chapter 1

**Water Stones**

"What are you fishing for?"

The aqua haired boy didn't respond, eyes fixed on the spot where his line cut the water's surface.

The older boy respected his determination and took a seat next to him, also watching for any slight movement in the water.

Minutes passed…then a bite! The boy jumped up and reeled his line in as fast as he could.

"Aw, not another magikarp!" He tried to unhook the Pokémon delicately, but the magikarp was flailing around too much and ended up splashing them both as it returned to the lake. The younger boy wasn't deterred and got straight back to hooking his line up with more bait.

"So, what are you trying find?"

"A barboach."

The older boy raised an eyebrow, not that the other noticed with his attention back on the water. "You do know that barboach aren't native to Sootopolis, right?"

The other tried to hide his surprise, but after spending hours out here he couldn't give up yet. "Yeah, but what if a random one just comes along? Like a little holiday? That's why you're here, right?"

"That happening is probably as rare as finding a shiny."

"Shinies aren't real," the younger said. "Only little kids believe that –"

"I've seen one."

"Well then you're a liar, just like the grown-ups."

The older rolled his eyes. "I'll show you. The old man who lives a few houses from me has a shiny tentacool."

"Mum says I can't leave the city on my own."

"When you're old enough come to Mossdeep and I will prove to you that shinies are real."

"Deal."

"I'm Steven, by the way."

"Okay, Steven, I'll come and find you in Mossdeep as soon as I can. My name's Wallace, don't forget."

Steven smiled. "I won't."

"So, where can I get a barboach?"

"They like caves, so the closest place to here is probably Victory Road."

Wallace gave him a look of disbelief. "I can't go there!"

"Get your parent to take you to a cave, like Meteor Falls."

"They'll probably say no. I'll just keep hoping for a barboach. So, do you have any Pokémon?"

Steven's eyes lit up, pleased at the chance to show off his friends. "Here's Beldum and Aron. I haven't had them for long, but they're really cool."

"Wow!" Wallace went to reach forward, but quickly retracted his hand.

"It's fine, they won't bite."

A huge grin was plastered on Wallace's face as he leant forward to pet Aron lightly. "They're so different to water Pokémon. I've heard about steel types, but never been this close. Is Beldum from around here?"

"They're pretty rare from what I've heard. I didn't actually catch this one myself, my dad gave me an egg to hatch."

"Woah, that's amazing."

"I want to get more steel types, but Mossdeep has lots of water Pokémon just like here."

"Really? What other -"

"Wallace!"

The boy spun around and saw his mother waving to him. "Aw, is that the time already?" He began to pick up his fishing gear. "Sorry, Steven, I have to go, but it was nice meeting you. Are you here tomorrow?"

"Last day tomorrow, might see you in the morning though."

Wallace smiled. "Awesome. If I don't, then you better wait for me to come and see that shiny!"

**OooO**

Almost a year passed before Wallace was allowed to surf to Mossdeep alone. His parents had offered to take him, but he had insisted that this would be good practice for when he went off on his own journey.

It was a beautiful summer's day when he made the journey, which he was thankful for because it took a lot longer than expected. He and Whiscash laid in the shallow waters, having a rest before trying to find Steven's house, but Steven had been waiting for them.

"Saw you from the window," he said as he offered Wallace a hand.

Wallace waved it away. "I think I'll rest here a little longer."

"So, a whiscash, eh? Did that random barboach finally show up?"

"Yep…." Steven's face said he wasn't buying that. "Nope. One of the trainers heading to the gym watched me catch this gyarados and she was disappointed because she had tried to catch one the day before. So I said I would trade for a barboach."

"Very smooth."

Wallace returned Whiscash to his pokéball and brushed the sand from his clothes. "So, this shiny?"

Steven led the way, pointing out different places around Mossdeep along the way. The old man was more than pleased to see them, happy to have some company. Not only did they get to see a purple and green tentacool, the man even gave them some lunch.

"How has the past year been?" Steven asked.

"I had school and then trained Whiscash after. Nothing really interesting," Wallace admitted. "How was yours?"

"Eh, same story. I spent some time in Rustboro with my dad, but it was only a few weekends and he tried to keep me in Devon when he was working."

"What's Devon?"

"Devon Corporation; a company my dad owns."

"Wow, so you're a rich kid? If my dad worked weekends do you think I could be rich too?"

Steven laughed. "Who knows? Maybe your dad could apply to work there. Urgh, why are we talking about jobs? It's summer! Free to do whatever we please."

"Are you coming back to Sootopolis for a holiday?"

"I don't think so, but we can still have day trips like this. I bet I could even ask my mum if you could stay over."

Wallace let out a little squeak. "Really?! That would be so awesome! I'll ask my parents too and you can stay with me as well!"

And so began the best summer of their lives so far. Their friendship blossomed over the hot months they had to themselves. From building sandcastles (Steven won purely because he had land based Pokémon to help) to large scale water fights (Wallace's forte). It was sad when it had to come to an end, but they promised next year would be just as fun.

Though it wouldn't be long before they would see each other again. Steven made his way over to Sootopolis on a cool winter's morning, rushing to find Wallace.

"What's the matter?" Wallace asked when he opened the door to find an out of breath Steven.

Steven held out a pokéball. "I caught it because I didn't know how else to get it here. It's a feebas that washed up on Mossdeep's shore. I don't know how it got there, but it looked hurt. I know you can help it, Wallace."

Wallace took the ball and rushed upstairs to start running a warm bath. "Make sure it doesn't overflow," he told Steven. Then the boy disappeared back downstairs.

"Mum, do we have any potions?"

"In the top draw."

Minutes later Feebas was soaking up the warmth with a potion to make him feel better.

"Will he be okay?" Steven asked.

"Hard to tell. Might need something a bit stronger. Why didn't you just take him to a Pokémon centre?"

"Because I wanted to give him to you. You do know how they evolve, right?"

Wallace nodded. "Beauty is the key."

"Then how better to make your Pokémon beautiful than forming such a strong bond at the start?"

"That was deep. I think you just wanted to hang out with me for a little longer."

"Maybe." Steven said with a shrug. "But I'm not sure Feebas will be around much longer."

Wallace gave the Pokémon a little more potion before checking it over. "Looks like it's been stung. Could be poison. I'll run to the pokémart and get an antidote!"

Steven was left to watch over the fish, worried that it would die under his watch. "Come on, little guy, hold on for my friend."

He concluded that Wallace could run pretty fast because he was back minutes later. The antidote was administered and Feebas perked up and actually started to move around the tub.

"Maybe you should work in a Pokémon centre with those healing skills."

Wallace laughed. "I want to be a star on stage. I don't think I'm cut out for hiding away healing Pokémon."

"Something we don't have in common. I'd be happy to be cooped up in a cave doing my own thing."

"What kind of job is that?"

Steven looked thoughtful. "I guess I'd find rare rocks and sell them to crazy collectors – if I could part with them myself, of course."

**OooO**

Feebas became a great addition to Wallace's growing team. Just like he had trained Barboach every day with diligence, so did he train Feebas. Recently his training had taken a turn for the better and occasionally passers-by would stop to watch. The Pokémon World Contests had been broadcast on TV not too long ago and since then Wallace had been training his team to fight as elegantly as those he had watched. One day he wanted to be competing alongside them and then taking home the title.

The kids at school had laughed when he said he'd take Feebas to a contest, they said he was 'ugly and worse than magikarp.' None of them had the patience to train a magikarp, so how could he expect them to understand Feebas's hidden gift? However, his teacher was impressed with his progress and offered to help him make poffins. Improvements were seen immediately, but it took a while for him to work out which aspect each Pokémon should excel in.

"Finish with bubble!" Wallace threw his hand up in the air as Feebas concluded today's session.

Someone behind him clapped. "That was quite impressive, young man." Wallace turned to see the city's current gym leader, Juan. "Say, how would you like to do a little performance in the gym as part of next week's festival?"

Wallace was speechless, but quickly responded, trying to impress the man he considered an idol. "Really?! Imeanyes." Maybe too quick. He paused before continuing. "That would be an honour."

Juan smiled. "I look forward to seeing what you bring to the pool."

Wallace waited until Juan was out of earshot before cheering loudly and giving his Pokémon a high-fin.

When the day actually arrived Wallace found that his dream of being a star was a lot more nerve racking than he'd anticipated. Luckily Whiscash, Luvdisc and Feebas seemed to be looking forward to showing off their moves. If they believed he'd trained them well enough, then he'd just have to believe it too – or at least look like he did.

One last check in the mirror, flashing a smile and reminding himself to keep it up while he was out there, and then he walked out to a cheering crowd. All he had to do now was perform as usual, with the added pressure of everyone (including his parents) watching and Juan narrating his every move.

Luvdisc was the show-opener, as always. She used charm to introduce herself, followed by agility, dashing around the pool to create a small whirlpool in the centre. Wallace released Feebas into the centre who used water gun to create the illusion of a small fountain. The audience cheered, ready for great things to come.

Together Luvdisc and Feebas used water gun in short spurts before turning to face each other and creating an overlapping stream into which Wallace released Whiscash. On hitting the water Whiscash used aqua tail which knocked Luvdisc and Feebas away, drawing all eyes to how powerful he was.

Water pulse was up next, both Feebas and Whiscash creating smooth ripples on the water's surface. Wallace could hear Juan praising how synchronised his Pokémon were, but he couldn't let it distract him. Luvdisc came between the two and rose up from the depths in an aqua ring, hovering a few meters above the surface before bursting the ring and returning to the bottom of the pool with the other two.

Feebas resurfaced first, blowing bubbles lightly towards the audience, followed by the others using bubblebeam to fill the gym quicker. Finally, Feebas used light screen to make the bubbles shine. Then Whiscash used round to pop them all in unison, water droplets still glistening in the air.

Wallace bowed while his Pokémon made circles in the water. The crowd applauded, but suddenly faltered and murmured with excitement.

"I can't believe what a treat we have here," Juan said over the microphone.

Wallace looked up to see Feebas glowing with light. He was smiling from ear to ear as he watched Feebas change form, growing into a serpentine shape. The light faded and a beautiful Milotic floated in the water where Feebas had been just seconds ago. Nothing stopped Wallace from diving into the pool right then and swimming over to hug Milotic.

"I knew you could do it," he said.

The crowd roared louder than before and he motioned for Luvdisc and Whiscash to join him in one last bow before leaving the still cheering stadium.

He was drying off when Juan joined him backstage. "That was very impressive. Thank you for delivering a once in a lifetime performance."

Wallace twirled the longer bits of his hair around his fingers shyly. "Thank you for the opportunity."

"Say, why don't you pop down to the gym sometime? I know you train a lot in the lake…"

"What? You mean challenge you? No way, I'm not ready for that."

Juan chuckled. "That's not what I meant, although do feel free to challenge me any time." Wallace sighed in relief. "No, what I was suggesting is that instead of training outside you come and train in here with me."

"Are you offering to mentor me?"

"I guess you could call it that. I'll help you with power training and contest training – if you want, of course."

He couldn't believe he was actually being given this chance. "Of course I want to! I mean, I would never turn down such a generous offer."

Juan smiled. "It's okay to be excited."

The smile Wallace had been trying to hold back took over. "Thank you, Mr. Juan, really."

"Just Juan." He looked at his watch. "I'd love to stay and chat, but the festival must go on. Au-revoir."

Wallace watched in awe as Juan left. Wait 'til he told Steven about this.

**OooO**

"Wallace, I need you tell you something," Steven said as they sat on Mossdeep's beach, the waves washing over their feet. "I'm going to start my Pokémon journey once summer's over. So, I'm not going to be around here much anymore."

Wallace's face fell. "So how can I contact you?"

The other shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to part ways for a while… I'm sure we'll meet again."

"I'll find you," Wallace said. "Even if it's years from now, I'll catch up and find you."

Steven looked at his friend and saw the same determination he'd seen on the day they first met. "I'll look out for you too."

"Promise?" Wallace held out his little finger.

"Promise." Steven held his out too and shook it.

The day before Steven was to leave, Wallace made his way to Mossdeep as he had done many times, but this time he knew it would probably be the last for a long time.

They spent the day doing all the things they loved and making sure they did everything they'd always said they would do. By the end of the day they were more exhausted than they'd ever been, but neither of them would change it for the world.

"I'm really sad that you're leaving," Wallace said. "I'll really miss you."

"Me too, but it's time for me to leave this place and see others. And then maybe when we meet again you'll be strong enough to have a little battle with me, unless you want to now?" Steven wiggled his eyebrows.

Wallace shook his head. "Let's end on a happy note, not one where I lose."

"Aw, and just when I thought a battle would fire you up to get better and seek me out one day."

"I'll do that anyway, you know. Oh – I almost forgot -" Wallace dug into his bag and took out a pokéball. "I want you to have this."

"Huh? One of your Pokémon?"

"No, I caught this one just for you."

Steven threw the ball and a luvdisc appeared.

"I wanted something for you to remember me by. They say you should give a luvdisc to people you care about."

"Thank you, Wallace… Well, I guess this is goodbye…for now." Steven held out his hand. Wallace took it and shook it briefly before pulling his friend in for a hug.

"Bye, Steven."

The ocean was calm as Wallace surfed away, waving to Steven who stood on the shore until they could no longer see each other.


	2. Chapter 2

Two summers passed and Wallace heard nothing of Steven. He had hoped that Steven would choose to visit Sootopolis gym earlier in his travels rather than save it for last like so many trainers from the mainland did, but here he was with nothing but a flyer for Devon Corp.'s latest pokéball, the dive ball. Juan had promised to let him know if any challenger that looked like him passed through, not that Juan had to worry with the amount of time Wallace spent around the gym. The pair made quite a team now and worked together in double battles for fun.

However, this world of security was about to come to an end. Sure, Wallace had enjoyed being Juan's apprentice and he was becoming a small celebrity in the city, but he yearned to see the rest of Hoenn. If he stayed he could be a gym leader in no time, but then he felt he would never leave. Juan understood when he said it was time to go and make his own path.

"Enjoy every moment of it," was his advice, "and don't forget that everyone will still be here to support you – don't be a stranger."

"As if I'd forget you."

As much as Wallace wanted to head straight for Rustboro on the off chance that Steven was around, he decided to stick to the plan. Dewford would be the first gym that he faced, followed by Petalburg and then Rustboro. The leaders of the gyms were amazed at how good he was for someone with so few badges. When he told them of his mentor they complimented the pair of them.

Before moving onto Rustboro he took some time to see some of the smaller towns. After all, this was not just a journey for badges, it was also a chance for him to explore and meet new people. The townspeople were an inviting bunch, always pleased to have someone new visit despite having neither gym nor contest hall. They also tried to sell local souvenirs for ridiculous prices, but they were easy to shrug off; he was still a child after all.

Rustboro was truly deserving of the word 'city.' It was larger than anywhere he'd ever been, with towering buildings and lots of people. At first it overwhelmed him, but as he learned what was where it didn't seem as scary. Devon Corporation was a lot easier to find than he'd anticipated. After being greeted with many similar looking buildings he had worried he'd never find it, but Devon looked nothing like its modern surroundings. To him it looked like an old church that should have been demolished with whatever else used to be here.

"Hi, I'm looking for Steven Stone," Wallace told the lady at the front desk.

"Mr. Stone is currently in a meeting," she said, glancing at him briefly before turning back to her computer. "Come back in an hour or so."

He could see it was worthless to press the matter, so he decided to wait around. The walls were covered in framed posters advertising various products from years ago all the way to modern items that were yet to be released. Plaques telling of various awards also adorned the walls. After reading every single one he found that barely half an hour had passed, so he took a seat and began to read through magazines that were lying on the table. Every so often he glanced at the clock and exactly one hour later he got up and approached the front desk again.

"Hi, I'm looking for Steven Stone."

She picked up the phone. "Who are you?"

"His friend, Wallace."

"Hello, Mr. Stone, I have a boy here, Wallace, he's looking for your son… Okay, bye." She put down the phone. "He said to go up. Top floor."

Wallace thanked her before briskly walking away. When he reached the top floor he was greeted by a man in a suit with hair almost like Steven's, but beginning to grey. The image he had built up of Mr. Stone from Steven's description was exactly like the man before him.

"You must be Wallace. Come in, Steven's told me much about you." Mr. Stone motioned for him to take a seat on the most expensive looking chair Wallace had ever seen and proceeded to offer him a biscuit.

"Sorry to bother you, Mr. Stone, I realise you're a busy man, but do you know where Steven is?"

"It's no problem at all; I'm always pleased to welcome Steven's friends. I sometimes worry he'll spend too much time with his rocks and forget real people exist." Mr. Stone laughed to himself. "I suppose it wasn't so bad when he was in Mossdeep and there was only the Shoal cave, but you should see him now. If you want to find him, he'll probably be in Meteor Falls right now, but he should be along in a few hours for dinner. If I were you, I'd wait for him to come here. The boy does like to find the smallest corners to hide in. Say, how about you join us for a bite to eat?"

"I'd love to."

"And until then maybe I can get someone to give you a tour of the lab, unless you have other plans?"

And so Wallace found himself being shown every nook and cranny of Devon's lab. It was pretty impressive stuff, not that he could understand a lot of what was being said. The guy giving him the tour was pretty excited about the science of it all and couldn't help but give away what was probably every corporation secret he knew. The tour ended with Steven coming in to fetch Wallace.

"Wallace? Dad wants to –"

"Steven!" Wallace got up from the computer he was being shown and hugged his friend. "Wow, you've grown."

"Good to see you too. Shall we?" Steven held the door open. "Sorry if Matt kept you. He's doesn't really know when to stop."

"It was cool to see everything, but yeah…I didn't want to tell him to stop. Anyway, how have you been?"

"Not too bad, you?"

"Two badges down, six more to go."

Steven nodded, impressed. "I've got six, two more to go."

"Wow, does it really take that long? I'll be old before I face the Elite Four."

"Haha, no. I've been spending a lot of time in the caves, so I haven't gone back to Mossdeep yet. It's…never mind."

"Hm? What's up?"

Steven sighed and stopped. "I guess it's better that you know. My mum…she passed away about a year ago now. Dad's really torn up about it. You know, he spent all of his time working here so that they could have a nice future together, but in the end it hasn't worked out…so I'm living here at the moment."

Wallace took Steven's hand. "How are you holding up though?"

"It's life… I'm doing fine, really, Wallace. I'm pleased that you're here and we can remember some good times and stuff. Just don't worry about me."

"I'll worry just a little bit."

"A year's a long time to get used to something."

"But to me it sounds like you're spending all day in caves and maybe they're linked?"

Steven smiled and ruffled his hair. "You know that's not right. You could have told me I'd win a million dollars if I never set foot in a cave again and I still wouldn't have taken it."

Wallace patted his hair back into place. "That's because you don't need the money!"

"Hey, stop being a smartass. Come on, dad's waiting."

**OooO**

Wallace's stay in Rustboro lasted longer than anticipated. He wanted to spend as much time with his old friend as possible before they both continued their journeys, but he also didn't wish to outstay his welcome.

Steven walked through Rusturf Tunnel with him on the day he left, but he wasn't going anywhere yet.

"I've got some stuff to do with Devon before I finish collecting badges. Dad's slowly turning me into a businessman so I can take over one day."

"I can't imagine that," Wallace laughed.

"I know, but I can't complain about the location. I could go hang out in the caves during lunch or something. Anyway, I've got something for you. Would've given it to you earlier, but it needed a few tweaks." Steven produced a small device from his pocket. "It's a PokéNav. Does all kinds of things, but I figure it'll be really handy for keeping in contact. I've already stored my number on it."

"But I thought these weren't out yet? I'm pretty sure I remember that Matt guy saying something about it."

"They're not officially out for public sale, but why make a friend wait?" Steven smiled.

Wallace flicked it open and had a quick peek at the functions. "It's pretty amazing. Thank you."

"Just don't forget to call me when you get another badge or something."

"I will." Wallace waved goodbye as he exited the tunnel into Verdanturf Town. Although it was a small town it was enough to quickly make him forget that badges were the end goal. To his right he could see a familiar building. It took a lot of willpower not to run inside. Calmly he walked towards the place he'd seen on TV and stepped inside. He'd clearly come at the right time because a queue was forming by the stairs, people with their dressed up Pokémon stood waiting for the next contest to begin. For a moment he stood in awe, soaking up the sight of the contest hall's lobby.

"Sir, can I help you?"

"Oh, um, can I get a ticket to see the contest?"

Minutes later he sat watching a cute contest, amazed to see what all of these people were bringing to the stage. He thought of his own Pokémon as he looked on, imaging his Milotic being cheered and winning a ribbon.

As soon as the contest ended he went straight to the front desk. "I want to sign up for a contest!" he said eagerly.

"Which category would you like to enter?"

Although he'd never really thought about it, the answer was simple. "Beauty."

"And have you participated before?"

"No."

The lady smiled and handed him a ticket. "The next beauty contest is tomorrow at 10am; please arrive half an hour early to ensure sufficient time to prepare."

Wallace looked down at the ticket in his hand as if she had handed him a $100 bill.

It had been a while since his Pokémon had had any contest training or practice, so he used his evening to prepare them, glad to see that they were as excited as he was.

Milotic was his Pokémon of choice and he took the contest by storm. His first contest experience was as incredible as he always dreamed it would be, but to walk out with the ribbon was more than he'd ever dared to hope for. If only Juan had been there to see him.

"You've got great talent, kid," one of the judges said afterwards. "Haven't seen you around here before, was that seriously your first time?"

Wallace proceeded to tell him all about how he'd got into contest performing.

"Ever thought about being a coordinator?"

"That's the goal."

The judge nodded. "I'll be looking out for you. I reckon you'll go far."

With an inflated ego Wallace walked out, ready to take on all of the greatest performers.

"You may not take Milotic into another beauty contest," the receptionist said. "You can enter a different category or choose another Pokémon, but we don't offer anything above normal rank." She watched as his face fell. "Don't worry, Slateport isn't far, but if you want to visit all the halls I'd recommend Fallabor Town as they only do up to super rank."

Naturally, Wallace didn't leave without first entering Luvdisc and Whiscash into contests, but once they were over the small town held nothing for him. The week had still been one of the best he'd had since starting his adventure.

Mauville was the next stop; another great city like Rustboro, but with added sales people. There was a guy trying to sell him a really expensive bike. He had to admit that the two gears on the bike were quite impressive, but with that price tag he's rather just catch a dodrio or rapidash. Then there was the Game Corner trying to tempt him into gambling, yet another thing he really couldn't afford.

The most annoying part about Mauville though was the gym. Wattson was an electric type specialist, the only leader running a team that could do him some serious damage. For the first time since he left home he was beaten and had to do a little extra training before a second attempt. The battle was still a close one, but he managed to walk away with the badge in hand.

The path to Lavaridge was a breeze, full of ground and fire types. The town's gym was no different, but he stayed for the people. A pair of nice old ladies convinced him to stay and enjoy the spa for a few days.

As much as the journey to Fallabor town was interesting, he couldn't say he was pleased with the colour of his clothes by the time he got there. The soot was incredibly annoying, but the prize at the end was worth it.

The competition in the super contest was clearly a level higher than those he'd faced in Verdanturf, yet they still were no match for him. He decided to take a break before taking a trip through Meteor Falls. Currently he only had 3 Pokémon competing in contests, so he took time to make poffins with the locals and bring Gyarados into the fray. The tough contest was harder than anticipated, but he guessed that Gyarados hadn't been in training as long as everyone else. Wallace stuck around for a good while, taking advantage of the nearby river for contest training and Meteor Falls for power training.

When he arrived back in Rustboro, after attempting to understand a certain person's fascination with rocks, Wallace found that Steven was no longer around.

"He said he's off to get the rest of the badges. Didn't he give you that PokéNav?"

"Yes, and I never got to thank you for that, but we haven't spoken for a while. Whenever I ring it doesn't connect."

Mr. Stone frowned. "I can get it checked for you, make sure nothing's wrong."

In the end it turned out that the PokéNav was functioning perfectly and they came to the conclusion that Steven was way too deep in a cave to be contacted. Wallace still worried.

"Don't look so concerned – I've got people about who I can call to see where he is. Tell you what, I'll ring you when I know."

Wallace was barely a few feet into Petalburg Woods when he received a call telling him that Steven had been seen around Mossdeep that morning. So he really was going to get the other two badges, although maybe after he'd spent another week in the Shoal Cave. That was a load of his mind as he surfed to Slateport. He wanted to catch up to Steven, but contests were incredibly tempting.

The hyper rank contests were truly another level. These contenders really knew what it took to bring out the best in their Pokémon. They knew exactly which moves to use and when and always left him trailing just a little behind. Sure, Juan had trained him well, but not like this. They'd never really discussed how to compete against others like this. He was almost tempted to surf back to Sootopolis for a little extra training with a master, but that wasn't the point of this. His journey was supposed to be something he did alone without relying on everyone back home… Juan's words echoed in his mind. They hadn't actually spoken since he won his first contest.

"Hello, Juan, how are you?"

"Wallace! Nice to hear from you again. I've been just fine. Yourself?"

They had a catch up before Wallace finally let on to his real reason for calling.

"Hmm, that's up to you. I believe if you go and continue your adventure and come back to the hyper rank you may find that your Pokémon will grow naturally without intense training."

"But these people are really good. It's like they know a special formula."

"Maybe. Or perhaps they can see the specific quality in their Pokémon and know how to utilise it from hours of working together. I believe you can figure that out too. I mean these people are surely much older than you, right?"

"Yes, but -"

"Then maybe you should stop being comparing yourself to someone who has much more experience."

What Juan had to say was really what Wallace needed to hear. He'd been so downhearted after losing his first contest that he had almost lost faith in himself.

He decided to dwell on his losses no longer and the next day he left Slateport to continue on his way to a complete set of badges.

The road to Fortree was full of grass, both short and tall, and trees too. As such grass Pokémon were rife and it was a long hard trudge to the next city, especially when it rained and turned the ground to mud. After a few nights of camping out he was excited to see the red roof of a Pokémon centre in sight, the thought of a warm, soft bed making him walk a little faster.

Fortree city was an experience. As a child he'd never really heard too much about Fortree, only that it didn't have a body of water despite being in a rainy area. He was amazed to find that most of the residents lived high in the trees, their homes accessible by rope ladder, connected to each other by bridges of the same design.

"Well, are you going up?"

Wallace stopped staring up and looked around to see a girl a little younger than him, purple hair poking out of her hat.

"Oh, no, I was just looking."

"New to Fortree?" she asked as he moved out of her way. "Suppose you're here to challenge my mother for the gym badge?"

"Your mother?"

"You're a very day-dreamy person, aren't you?"

Wallace shook his head. "No, I'm just overwhelmed by this place."

"Well if you have the strength to climb, follow me and I'll give you a little tour so don't leave this place with nothing."

Wallace gave a short laugh. "Very good, but I think you'll find I'll leave with a badge as well."

"Not if you keep looking around and not focussing on the competition." She started to climb the ladder.

"I assure you I always pay attention when the situation demands it." He put a foot on the first rung, testing how stable it was. "Are you sure this thing is safe?"

"We've had these for how many years and you're asking that? Don't worry; I've seen people bigger than you get up without a wobble."

"Are you saying I'm fat?"

"Insecure too? Just get up the ladder."

Wallace found the ladder to be a lot easier than anticipated.

"Not bad for a twig."

"Hey. I do a lot of swimming."

"Whatever, follow me, Blue."

"The name's Wallace."

She turned and held out her hand. "Winona, future leader of Fortree gym."

He raised his eyebrows and shook her hand. "Pleasure to meet you. Now, what exactly goes on in these trees?"

Winona showed him how pretty much the entire city functioned in the trees. People lived there, businesses flourished there. For some they could live for weeks at a time without ever needing to touch ground.

"And there's the gym!" She pointed down and he saw the gym sitting at the centre of the city. "Are you going to challenge it now?"

Wallace shook his head. "I'll spend a few more days around here before I do."

"Okay, just make sure you tell me when you do. Or tell my mum to tell me. I want to watch."

"Sure thing."

At first he felt a little pressure knowing that Winona would be watching, but they ended up spending the next few days in each other's company and it began to feel like he had a friend who would cheer him on. Of course that was wishful thinking – Winona was never going to betray the belief she had in her mother.

The gym battle was heated, especially due to Winona cheering from the stands. However, all of her encouragement didn't stop Wallace from taking home the badge. She stood by the doors as he was on his way out. "Congratulations, I guess."

"Thanks. Maybe one day we can battle and you can have your revenge."

Her eyes lit up at the prospect. "Drop by the gym in a few years and I'll be waiting."

"I guess this is goodbye then – for now. It was lovely to meet you."

"Yeah, see ya."

The journey to Lilycove City had many detours. Wallace took time to visit the safari zone as well as Mt. Pyre. Although there was no gym in Lilycove, there was a massive department store and the final contest hall. He checked into the motel before spending hours wandering the 5 floors of the department store.

The plan to keep contests until after he had all the badges fell through. He couldn't help but have a little try. Once again he failed to achieve the top spot, falling just behind in the performance category.

And so, with nothing but the calm atmosphere keeping him there, Wallace surfed on to Mossdeep. It was back to familiar territory, but the familiar face he wanted to see was nowhere to be found. The Stone residence was dark and empty. It made him sad to look at.

The gym was famous across the region for being the only gym with two leaders that ran double battles as the standard challenge to get the badge. At present a couple, married for many years, were running the gym. They were very tough and with psychic Pokémon too; this was no simple task. It was no wonder they were often a trainer's later choice of gym. Just as he had trouble with Wattson he found himself running to a Pokémon centre without a badge, but this was nothing he couldn't handle. The Shoal cave was not far and perfect for training, as well as expanding his team. For a long time he'd wanted an ice Pokémon on his team, but they weren't the most common species in Hoenn's warm climate. Yet the Shoal cave had hidden treasures and soon a young spheal was under his wing. He took the time to train Spheal until he was a sealeo, almost level with the others.

It was a few weeks before he returned to the gym. Even with an ice type he still had no type-advantage, so the battle was just as difficult, but this time he just about pulled through, Milotic barely upright at the end of the match.

As he sailed home to Sootopolis he couldn't help but be proud of everything that he had achieved. He couldn't wait to see the looks on his parents' and Juan's faces when he showed them his new Pokémon, badges and ribbons.

The reunion dinner reminded him how much he actually missed home and everyone in the city. It had been the most amazing experience of his life, but after a year and a half away all he wanted now was to enjoy being back. Of course, this part of his journey wasn't complete until he challenged Juan for the final badge.

"You asked me to keep a lookout, and I have news," Juan said. "A young man named Steven came by about a month ago with an incredible steel team. He wasn't very talkative, but he did say he would be moving onto Victory Road."

Wallace smiled at the news. "Yeah, I guess he's been waiting to get to the biggest cave in Hoenn for a long time."


	3. Chapter 3

Wallace was in no rush to challenge the Elite Four and the Champion and as such he wasn't in a hurry to challenge Juan just yet. Instead he took the time to train with Juan once again, this time focusing on contests. He returned to Lilycove in due time and took the crown in both the hyper and master ranks. Soon his name began to spread throughout the region and he knew he was doing well when Steven sent him a message saying he'd seen him on the TV. He smiled at the message and realised that they hadn't spoken for a long time… Once he'd returned to Sootopolis he hadn't forgotten about Steven, but he definitely thought about him less. It wasn't that he didn't care, but it was so different now that he was surrounded by everyone again. It made him realise how lonely his journey had been.

Steven hadn't called him in all this time either, but he'd never been that talkative. Still, he selected Steven's number in the PokéNav. It rang…and continued to…until a voice asked him to leave a message. Wallace didn't know what to say. He really just wanted to catch up after so long. Instead he just replied to the message, hoping that Steven would reply whenever he was available (he didn't want to assume that he was in a cave, but he was probably right).

At least he often got to see Winona. Seeing as she was only a city away she often came to support him in contests.

"So what's next?" she asked after he won the last master rank.

"The Hoenn Grand Festival." He smiled at the prospect. That would be his dream come true.

"Wow. Do you think you can win?"

Wallace shrugged. "Maybe. If not I'll just have to train harder and come back next year. How is your training going?"

"It's good. I'm going to leave Fortree and start my journey soon."

"Wonderful. So, I guess I won't see you for a while?"

"Well I'll stick around for the Grand Festival, but don't worry, I'll stay in touch."

Wallace smiled. Maybe he would finally challenge Juan after the festival, regardless of the outcome.

A fortnight wasn't long to prepare, but Wallace entered anyway. Experience was good and he was more than qualified to enter. Winona sat with him as he watched the other competitors in the categories he wasn't entering.

"They're incredible," he whispered.

"You'll be fine," she reassured him.

"No, these people are amazing. I…I don't…Winona, look at them!"

She patted his shoulder. "I know, but you have to remember that you're amazing too."

He shook his head. "I try to act like I am, but honestly there is no way…what was I thinking?"

"I want you to go out there and act then. Be the child prodigy or whatever."

"I don't think someone my age has ever won."

"Then be the first!"

"The youngest person was Juan when he was nineteen. That's still a gap of -"

Winona cleared her throat loudly. "And who trained you, Wallace?"

"Juan."

"In which case you must be as good as he was when he won."

"No, but -"

She pressed a finger to his lips. "You've got this."

Her pep talk gave him a little more confidence, but he really wasn't ready to go face to face with these people. They weren't just Hoenn locals in a contest that ran weekly, these competitors had waited a whole year for this. They'd trained specifically for this and some had travelled from other regions just to display their talents. He was intimidated by each and every one of them.

The whole thing could have gone a lot worse than it did. He could have come last, but he managed to trump the only other teenager in the beauty category. Juan was waiting for him back in Sootopolis, full of encouraging words and all of the things Wallace needed to hear.

"You've done incredibly well, but it is a fierce competition. Return in a few years, trust me."

Juan's advice was sound, but nothing stopped Wallace from returning the next year. During the intermission between the festivals he trained hard and took on Juan for the final badge.

"I won't go easy on you," Juan warned him.

"And neither will I."

Water versus water was a tough fight for them both. Wallace managed to land a critical hit and take the upper hand. In the end he took the win with one Pokémon left, Juan applauding from the other side of the gym.

"It's been a while since I've had such a thrilling battle. Thank you, and congratulations." Juan held out the Rain badge.

Beating Juan was what gave him the confidence to pursue the Hoenn Grand Festival again. Just one more try and then he would leave it alone for a good few years. Once more he met Winona there. She had come a long way on her journey with only Sootopolis left to visit.

"I figured I could make the trip with you and you can watch me take my final badge."

He thought that was a great plan, hoping that they would both take home a prize. Wallace's year of specific training had helped a lot and he took to the stage like he was meant to be there. A few people who remembered him from the previous festival commented on how his stage presence was better and would get him further. Yet he still lacked the years of competition that the others had. It didn't bother him when he came somewhere in the middle of the ranking, it was to be expected. However, he made a promise to all of his Pokémon that the next time they came they would go home champions.

Wallace watched as Winona took her final badge. He had no doubt that she would win. His battle with Juan could have been a lot easier if he had agreed to face Juan's 8th badge team, but he had requested Juan face him with his usual team.

Winona returned to Fortree to start her on her path to taking over as gym leader.

"Don't you want to come to Ever Grande?" Wallace asked.

She laughed. "You think I'm ready for that? After you spent like two years putting it off I think I will too."

"That's not fair. I wasn't putting it off; I was busy with other things."

"Yeah, well, it's not like I need to face the Elite Four to be a gym leader, so I don't really want to. Not now anyway."

They parted ways and Wallace surfed across the sea to Victory Road. The thought that he might see Steven in there made him excited, but then he remembered how long it had been; Steven had probably moved on long ago.

The types of Pokémon he came across did his team a lot of good. He spent some time training before he finally took on the Elite Four for the first time.

The first run was going so well until he encountered Glacia. It was like facing Juan all over again, but this time with ice types. After facing two others Wallace's Pokémon were already tired and so his battle against Glacia ended quicker than anticipated. It sure was a tough challenge to beat 5 top trainers in a row, but he wasn't deterred.

He returned to training, refining his tactics for facing similar types. Even when he thought he had mastered that he still trained harder, knowing that he'd have two more challenges after Glacia.

Wallace walked through the doors several weeks later, this time carrying a stock of potions and revives. Originally he had wanted to beat all 5 without any help, but he realised it wasn't fair on him or his Pokémon.

Glacia was pleased to see him back and took defeat gracefully, wishing him luck. When he walked into the next room he wasn't surprised to find Drake waiting for him. The guy was a Hoenn legend, a master of dragon Pokémon, and as a celebrity everyone was warned when he took up the post as member of the Elite Four. Wallace was prepared with Walrein at his side, but even a type advantage was not enough to easily take Drake down. He really was one with his Pokémon and Wallace was so pleased to have been able to face him.

"Good luck, kid," he said as he unlocked the door for Wallace to progress.

On the stairs Wallace took time to prepare his Pokémon for the final battle. This was it…his whole journey had lead up to this moment. Once he beat the Champion he would enter the Hall of Fame and that would be it. It was like the closing of a chapter.

He pressed the button on the wall and the doors opened. This room was different to all the others he'd been in so far; it was bright and the raised arena was octagonal rather than rectangular. Wallace was so busy taking in the room that he almost didn't notice the man who had just entered through the door at the other end. The black suit stood out against the light walls. He looked at the Champion and then –

"Steven?!"

Steven lips curved. "Wallace." He stepped down to the arena. "It's been a while."

"I did try and call, but you never picked up," Wallace said, a little hurt in his voice. "So, this is where you've been."

"Yeah, I figured you'd drop by soon enough." Steven took a pokéball from his belt.

"It's been years…" He wondered how they ever became friends in the first place.

"I suppose it has been." Skamory popped out of the ball. "I'm looking forward to facing you. If you fight anything like you perform in a contest then I'm in for a tough battle."

Steven was getting straight down to business when all Wallace wanted to do was talk. Was he okay? As much as Wallace was annoyed that Steven had pretty much ignored him he was still worried that something had happened. After all, the last time they lost contact for a long period of time Steven's mother died. What if something else had happened and that's why he wasn't talking?

"Well, are you still up for taking home the title?" Steven asked. "Or do you not want to fight me?"

Wallace threw a pokéball. He wasn't giving up now and he couldn't allow the fact that he was facing Steven to put him off.

He concentrated on the battle at hand, barely looking at his opponent. He paid attention to the Pokémon in front of him, assessing their types and reacting accordingly. Steel really was a difficult type to fight, but Whiscash served him well. Although he was trying not to think about Steven, he felt that his emotions towards him helped him in the battle.

Wallace saved Milotic for the last leg of the battle, when Steven was down to only Metagross. It was the face off they'd both dreamed of, but while they had both envisioned it ending with Metagross winning, in reality it ended with Milotic standing tall at the end, Metagross unable to support itself any longer.

Wallace looked at Milotic and they both understood what this meant. He walked up to Milotic and threw his arms around the Pokémon.

"You did great."

From the other side of the room Steven clapped. "Well then, I have to welcome you, Wallace, to the Hall of Fame." He walked back to the door he came from and opened it.

Wallace kissed Milotic's nose before returning him to his ball and following Steven through to the place only the best trainers ever got to see. Before he had taken all of it in Steven was asking him for his pokéballs. As he watched them register on the screen it finally started to set in that he had won.

"So, do you want to be Champion?" Steven asked.

"What?" He had never really considered the options that opened up to him if he won.

"You know, stick around here, be the Champ, face people now and then."

"Not really," Wallace admitted. Sure, he wanted to win, but sticking around? He had things he wanted to do after this. "Do you not like doing this?"

Steven shook his head. "I love it here. Victory Road's right outside and I don't often get challengers that make it past Drake. But, seeing as you beat me I have to ask. I guess I should congratulate you; you're the first person I've been able to ask."

"Really? In all this time?"

"I don't know what you think 'all this time is.' I know you must have heard about me going to Sootopolis, but I didn't beat the previous Champion that soon after. I spent a very long time in Victory Road. Do you know how big that place is? There are three levels of cave to explore!" Steven looked more than happy to be talking about caves. He probably didn't get the opportunity very often. "And then I took some of my findings to Dad and did some more business work with him. So after all that I've only been here for a few months."

"Right. And yet earlier you suggested that you'd been waiting for me."

"I have. You know it's not hard for my father to keep track of PokéNavs and for me to listen out for you as you did for me. I beat the old Champion and said that I'd take over from her when the time was right."

Wallace stared at Steven. "I don't understand you at all. Why didn't you just ask me yourself? If you knew where I was, how difficult was it to just pop over and see me?"

Steven looked at his feet, fists clenched. Silence filled the room, but Wallace waited for an answer.

"…I don't have a good reason," Steven admitted. "I wish I could tell you that something physically stopped me from contacting you, but it's not true. Wallace…I really value our friendship, but I realised that I was letting it slip away not long after we met in Rustboro. I said we'd stay in contact, but again I let myself get lost in my own world, hidden away in caves alone. The longer I left it the harder it became. Then I saw you on the TV and…well, I was… Okay, it sounds a bit ridiculous, but I was intimidated by you. I thought about all of these new people you were meeting and how I was probably just that childhood friend you'd outgrown. I honestly believed that." He sighed. "So I decided to wait for you here, hoping that if I was Champion then I would feel as if we were on the same level and that I wasn't just some kid who spent all his time in caves living off the wealth of his parents. But then you waltz in here acting as if nothing's changed, as if it hasn't been years since we've seen each other."

Wallace placed a hand on Steven's shoulder. "I really appreciate you sharing that. However, I think you'll find that you're the intimidating one. You always seem to be so calm and cool about things that it occurred to me that maybe _you_ had outgrown _me._"

Steven gave a short laugh. "Hardly. I always try to appear like that, but in the end I'm just pushing everyone away with that façade. Honestly, Wallace, you're pretty much my only real friend and I even managed to push you away. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, we'll try this again, but this time you've got to promise to pick up the phone when I call. And if you're in a cave at the time, then I want you to promise to call me back when you get out, okay?"

"Okay."

Wallace smiled. "And don't forget, I know where you live now – and I expect you to tell me if you give up being Champion."

Steven nodded and stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do now.

"Chin up; everything's going to be fine." Wallace closed the distance between them and hugged Steven, noticing how much they'd grown since they'd last seen each other.

Steven tensed up at first, but slowly relaxed into the embrace, patting Wallace on the back lightly. "I can't believe you're taller than me."

"Finally," Wallace said as he released Steven.

"That only makes you more intimidating. Please don't grow any more."

Wallace laughed. "Only if you keep your promise."

**OooO**

Wallace returned to Sootopolis, but as decided he didn't pursue the Grand Festival for the third year running. He still participated in the odd contest to keep his Pokémon in practise, but he now spent his days in Sootopolis gym. Like Winona he was on his way to becoming the gym's leader. Juan had offered him the position and currently he couldn't think of anything he'd rather do.

"Oh, so you accept the leader offer, but not the champion offer?" Steven asked over lunch at a small café in Sootopolis. "Surely being a leader is more work?"

"I guess… Being a leader suits me better. Juan will still be around to cover when I'm not there and I get to stay in Sootopolis. No offence to Ever Grande, but the place is a little too quiet for my taste. Besides, I'd have put you out of a job."

"True. I guess I'd have ended up back in Rustboro – not that it's a problem, but I am enjoying the freedom that comes with the position."

"I suppose it does allow you to get around. Thank you for coming today." This was only the second meeting they'd had since their league battle. Wallace had a mental tally of how often he met with Steven and Winona. They were both even at the moment, so he guessed that was a good sign.

Although Steven hadn't met Winona, he hoped they'd all sit down together one day. After all, it was Winona who phoned him to mention tough challengers and when they passed through Sootopolis he would ring Steven and pass the message along. Occasionally Steven would return the call saying someone had beaten him and Wallace would let Winona know whether she had betted correctly.

Being a gym leader wasn't as taxing as Wallace had imagined. When Juan had first started to train him he was astounded that Juan had the time, but now he realised why. It was easy for him to perform all of his duties and train for contests. It wasn't long before the Grand Festival was on his mind again. He went to the festival every year, but only as a spectator, and every time he watched he was reminded of why he was waiting before he re-entered.

Several years of watching and waiting passed before Wallace finally took to the festival's stage again. This time all of his family and friends came out to watch, which honestly put him under a lot more pressure, but with all the confidence he had gained from his time as a gym leader he was sure that this time he could go home with a title. Of course he wanted to win, but he would settle for top three.

"I said we'd go home champions this time," Wallace said to his Pokémon. "So let's give it our all and show everyone that we deserve to be champions of contests as well as the league."

His team really had grown over the years. As he performed he remembered the first time in Sootopolis gym and he tailored his performance to take inspiration from it. With Walrein on his team he was able to create beautiful ice formations, built from the water patterns created by his other Pokémon. Milotic's twister was a particularly favourite move of his. Yet the part he favoured the most was when he used rain dance followed by aurora beam to create the effect of a rainbow after a stormy day. Gyarados's thunderbolt during rain dance was the cherry on top.

All of his hard work paid off when he stepped up to take home the trophy. He stood holding the ribbons before the crowd; the cheering was loud as he looked up to see his closest supporters. He could see Winona with her hands in the air as she cheered. Next to her Juan stood clapping with a smile on his face. Wallace brought a hand to his lips before extending it in their direction. He could never have done this without them.

As soon as they were together again he had Winona jumping on him yelling "you did it! You did it!"

He laughed as Juan pried her off him. She really was stoked about him finally winning after all the years she'd spent supporting him through various contests.

"So what's next?" she asked. "Are you leaving us to do the other regional festivals? Or – oh yes – Wallace, you need to do the World Grand Festival!"

"I guess those are all things I could do. I think I'll take a break first."

Juan waited until later to mention becoming a full time coordinator.

"So, are you thinking about travelling the world and becoming a full time coordinator like Winona suggested?"

Wallace shook his head. "Not at all. It would be a great experience, but I'm not ready to go out there and try. I like it too much here."

"I see. Well, know that I'm willing to watch over the gym if you ever decide to take a few years out."

"Thank you. In the mean time I think I'll wait for the World Festival to come round."

Juan raised his eyebrows. "Really? I'd like to see you win that."

"Yes, and I'd like to see you compete."

"Haha, I doubt I'd do very well being so out of practice."

"You have two years to train before it gets here."

Juan smirked. "Well then, maybe I will put in some time and meet you there."

"I look forward to it."


	4. Chapter 4

The following year was an action packed one. Two groups of trainers calling themselves Team Aqua and Team Magma rose up into the public eye. At first they seemed to just be a group of bad people, but as time went on the danger they posed became apparent. Not only were these teams causing general terror, there were also a pair of kids who were taking the world by storm. They were always popping up on the news for various things, be it winning badges, contests or beating a Team grunt. Winona ended up calling him saying they both appeared within a few days of each other and beat her. Steven also mentioned meeting them, saying he believed they'd go far.

Wallace knew they were drawing close when locals reported seeing a giant Pokémon headed towards the city. It was on the news that Team Aqua had awakened something in a cavern nearby.

"Any idea what it is?" Wallace asked Juan.

"It's Kyogre."

Wallace shot him a look. "Seriously? That ancient Pokémon from the legends?"

Juan nodded sincerely. "If you'd been keeping up with the news properly you might have heard that their plan was to wake it. Looks like they've succeeded. How else do you explain this constant rain?"

"And now it's hanging around in the Cave of Origin?"

"Seems so."

Wallace sighed. "Why did it have to pick our city? Now I suppose we'll have Team Aqua knocking on our door trying to get at it."

"For someone like you I'm sure it won't be too much trouble to dispel them."

"Depends on how many turn up."

Wallace patrolled the city, with many people aiding him in the bid to keep out Team Aqua. He stood with the old man who spent his days guarding the cave's entrance, waiting for a sign of trouble.

Barely a day passed before Steven showed up with a familiar young girl at his side.

"You're the girl I always see on the TV," he commented.

Steven smiled, glad to see Wallace recognised her. "She's here to quell Kyogre's rage. I'm sure even you are fed up with this rain."

"What about Team Aqua?" Wallace asked.

"She's beaten them! They won't be causing any more trouble."

Wallace looked at her. "Thank you. And what of Team Magma?"

"My friend will take care of that," she told him. Of course, the boy she was always competing against.

"And how, may I ask, will you tame such an ancient Pokémon?"

From her bag she produced a blue orb that was glowing slightly. She didn't say anything else as she walked past him and into the cave, the light from the orb guiding her way.

Wallace looked back to Steven, an impressed look on his face. "I can see why Winona warned me about that kid."

"The pair of them are quite amazing. I can't wait to face them in the league. So…can I go digging in that cave yet?" Steven had a massive grin on his face.

Wallace rolled his eyes. "Maybe."

They waited just inside the cave, listening to the roar of a large Pokémon from deep within. The battle must not have been an easy one judging by what they could hear. Steven walked around, touching and tapping at the wall of the cave, Wallace calling him back to reality from time to time when he wandered too far.

"Honestly, can't you just sit still for a moment?"

"But look at this place! It's been untouched for decades, right? Just imagine what's hiding just beneath the surface. Oh, Wallace, please, please, say I can dig. Even if it's just a little." Steven gave him puppy dog eyes.

Wallace tried not to give in to the sweet face in front of him, but Steven kept edging closer, hands clasped together. "Alright, okay, fine."

"Thank you!" Steven grabbed him in a hug so suddenly that Wallace slipped from the rock he was leaning against. Although he was about to say something about damaging his clothes, Wallace let it slide because this was the first time Steven had initiated a hug. Finally he felt comfortable enough around Wallace to do something like this, although there was an afterthought that anyone who allowed him to dig in a cave would receive the same treatment.

"They've stopped," Wallace noticed.

"So that means I can dig now, right?"

Wallace almost hit him.

"I'm joking."

They waited patiently for May (at least Steven knew her name) to return from within the cave. A light appeared at the end of the section they were in, the blue orb was still in her hands as she walked towards them, but now it was shining bright.

"What happened down there?" Steven asked.

"I caught it." She held up a pokéball briefly before walking out of the cave. "It's stopped raining." As she stood there her PokéNav rang and answered. Her conversation with the boy on the other end was much more animated than either of them had seen her be. They sounded like they were showing off to each other, but May clearly had the upper hand with her location. When the call ended she looked straight at Wallace and pointed. "I want to face you for the Rain badge."

He would be lying if he said he wasn't a little worried.

Steven stuck around to watch their battle which only made it more apparent that when these two passed through Ever Grande city no one was going to stand in their way. May made it a quick fight and looked up at Steven when it was over. "You're next." This girl really knew how to strike fear into people.

"The worst bit," Steven called down to Wallace, "is that Brendan is going to be even more ferocious knowing she's ahead."

**OooO**

May and Brendan passed by the pair of them with ease, but neither of them chose to stay as Champion. Steven had thought May might chose to face Brendan, but it seemed their rivalry was going to continue elsewhere.

After Teams Aqua and Magma were gone, and their biggest challengers too, life returned to normal. Wallace resumed training for the World Grand Festival with less than a year to go. He got to see a lot more of Steven too after he promised him access to the Cave of Origin.

"How's it going in there?" Wallace asked as they sat down to dinner – Wallace always offered to cook for Steven once a week.

"There're a lot of fossils and stones in there. Mainly water stones, but I found a dusk stone. I didn't think they could be found in Hoenn." He paused to eat a mouthful. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you something."

"Hm?"

"I know you said you didn't want to, so don't feel forced, but…will you be Champion for a while?"

Wallace looked surprised. "Why? Where are you off to?"

"Dad's asked me to go over to Sinnoh and do business with the Pokétch Company. One day someone's going to want to replace me as Champ, so I guess I should invest some time into Devon now."

"It sounds like a good plan. How long do you think you'll be away for?"

Steven shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. A few months? Maybe half a year? It's no problem if you don't want to take the job, I can ask someone else. The League has a list of people for times like this."

"No, don't worry, I'll do it."

A smile appeared on Steven's face. "Really? That's great."

"That champion cloak is going to look so good on me. I can't believe you never wear it. So, when are you off?"

"Seeing as you've said yes I'll probably leave in a week."

"I'll come and see you off."

It was a sad affair as Wallace stood by Skarmory on one of Ever Grande's cliffs. Steven came rushing out of the league building with a large bag, assuring everyone that he had in fact remembered everything this time.

"If you've forgotten anything I'll post it to you," Wallace said as Steven laid the bag at Skarmory's feet.

"Okay, right, close your eyes." Wallace went to question, but Steven cut him off. "Just do it. Please."

Wallace tried to listen for what Steven was up to, but the wind was blowing just a little too strongly. He felt something on his shoulders and Steven's hands at his chest.

"And open."

Wallace looked down to see the Champion's cloak draped over him, the bottom flowing in the breeze. He couldn't keep from smiling as he stood there.

"You look beautiful."

Wallace could feel the heat rising in his cheeks, so he stepped forward to pull Steven into an embrace. "Thank you. Good luck in Sinnoh."

Steven gave him a quick squeeze before breaking away and mounting Skarmory. "I'll be off then! Bye, Wallace!"

Skarmory grabbed the bag at his feet before spreading his wings and taking off.

Wallace stood waving, a tear rolling down his cheek. He was really going to miss Steven, and this time he wouldn't be able to follow with the hope of catching him again. He shook his head, wondering why he felt this sad. Maybe it was the idea that Steven would like Sinnoh more and stay there forever…still he knew they'd see each other again one day.

Wallace turned back to the league building and walked towards it, cloak billowing behind him.

**OooO**

Being Champion was not much different to being a gym leader. To be truthful he found it to be more boring. He could often spend days back in Sootopolis without a call notifying him of a challenger. At least he now had even more time to focus on the World Festival.

There was quite a buzz around the Festival this year. The news that both the current Champion and the supposedly retired Juan would be competing spread like fire. It was great that so many people suddenly seemed interested, but it also meant the pair of them had their work cut out with a sudden influx of challengers wanting to see them and prove their worth before the festival.

"How's it been?" Winona asked as they sat backstage.

"Hectic," Wallace sighed. "I had to spend the past week at Ever Grande just in case someone made it past Drake. It was tiring. Did your gym suffer the same?"

"Yeah, a bit. Mainly all the people who had seven badges and never bothered to get ours. It was great to get a little more action, but I'm just not used to that kind of workload. My Pokémon are having a break this weekend."

"I don't think any of the gyms are open this weekend. We only get this event once every three years after all."

"And I'm looking forward to it. Can't wait to see the opening speech." She grinned.

"I'm not. Honestly I think part of the reason Steven didn't stick around longer was so he didn't have to do it. A shame he's not here just to watch though."

"Aw, do you miss your boyfriend?" Winona teased when she saw his face fall.

He shot her a disbelieving look. "Are the pair of you jealous of each other or something? First he says you're my girlfriend and now you do the same. When this is over I'm going back to hanging out with Juan, at least he doesn't insinuate such ridiculous things."

Winona giggled. "Aw, look you're getting all defensive."

"No."

"You totally are. You do like him, don't you? Oh wait – maybe you like me?!" She tried to keep a straight face and stare him down but couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Wallace bopped her head lightly. "I think I'll keep you both at friend distance. Especially you."

"Oooh. So what you're saying is if you had a choice you'd have Steven as more than a friend?"

"I am going to have you thrown out into the audience again if you don't stop. Go and bother Juan or something."

"Nah, he's no fun. I can't wind him up like I can you."

"Great," he sighed.

When he took to the stage it was just him and his Pokémon, no outside distractions. As part of the opening ceremony Wallace not only gave a short speech, but also performed. Although he and Juan would go head to head in the beauty category the following day, they had decided to volunteer to open the festival. The pair of them had created a routine in which their Pokémon performed alongside each other, starting off with what appeared to be a beautiful battle before harmonising and pulling off the most spectacular moves they could display only with the other.

It was the first time that they'd done anything like it, but it was so enjoyable that Wallace was going to make sure it wasn't the last.

The actual contest performances were top class. He had thought that the Hoenn Festival contestants had been excellent, but these coordinators were on another level. They were masters of the art. Some of these people had won all three region titles before coming here, others were previous World Festival winners (although from a different category typically). It was nerve wracking to watch the cool contest before the beauty contest and it made Wallace realise what he'd signed up for.

Juan was the first person to take the stage, being out of the contest scene for some time he had the lowest qualifications. They liked to try and build on each performance, so the people who had won the most prestigious contests and festivals were always the last up. With one regional title under his belt that placed Wallace in the 5th spot out of the 10 contestants. The fact that there were potentially 5 better and more experienced people going after him made him doubt his ability to win.

Still, he went out and gave the performance of his life. The support from the audience was incredible; they all really wanted a Hoenn winner after Sinnoh's recent domination of the festivals. His idea for the performance came from the recent events between the legendary Pokémon. He pitched Gyarados against Walrein before introducing Milotic, coming to calm them as legend said Rayquaza would.

"You know, I think you could win," Winona said after all the contestants had finished.

"I gave them the best I have, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

She smiled and gave him a knock on the arm. "That's the spirit! Good to see you think you have a chance rather than outright denying it."

"What about Juan?"

Juan leaned forward in his seat to listen.

Winona grimaced. "I don't mean to sound like you didn't do well, but…you could tell it's been a while"

"It's a fair comment. I agree."

Winona's guesses at where they would come in the ranks wasn't far off. Juan came in at 6th, some of the judges clearly appreciated his style and elegance. Wallace stood, waiting for his name to be called, every moment making his more nervous. 3rd place was called and it still wasn't him. There was now a 50% chance he'd won. He let out a long breath as they announced the winner. They called his name just before cannons released confetti. He stepped forward as the crowd roared his name.

This was it; he had become the Pokémon master people always dreamed of being… He bowed before the crowd as the last of the confetti rained down.

"Congratulations!" was the first thing he heard when he answered the call from Steven. "Sorry I couldn't be there to see the double-champion be crowned, but I was watching it on TV."

"Thank you. I'm sure you were glad to be relaxing wherever you are rather than having a screaming Winona next to you." It had been the one thing Steven had always complained about when he attended a contest.

"Haha, I'm sure she was ecstatic."

"Oh yes, I think she's just about lost her voice. Oh, and then she tried to give me a piggy back – that almost ended badly. Good thing Juan was around really."

"She really is too much to handle."

"In her defence, most of the time she's perfectly fine, it's only when festivals come around that she gets hyped up. Anyway, enough about my end, how's Sinnoh?"

"It's great, a lot colder here than back home. I saw snow for the first time that wasn't made by a Pokémon." Wallace smiled at the idea. "You should come and visit some time."

"Maybe I will. Any idea when you'll return?"

"Bored of champion duties?"

"Not at all." He wanted to say he missed Steven, but it sounded so soppy in his head.

"Well, it's looking like I'll be returning in a month or so."

"I look forward to it. Let me know when."


	5. Chapter 5

Steven's stay in Sinnoh ended up being extended and while he didn't want to admit it, it was mainly because of Mt. Coronet. The mountain was apparently the biggest cave Steven had ever been in, he said 'cave' didn't cut it, it was 'marvellous'. The months he'd spent in Sinnoh hadn't been enough for him to explore, so he was staying a little longer.

"If you really want to see him, why don't you go to Sinnoh and participate in their Grand Festival?" Winona said as she spooned ice cream into her mouth.

"I'm sort of waiting for him to return and take his job back."

"Then stop complaining and just wait. If he's coming back then it's just a matter of time. Seriously, Wallace, what is this really about? Are you struggling with being tied to Ever Grande?"

"No."

She waited for him to elaborate, but that didn't seem to be happening. "Help me out here. So, you've got no problems with the champion business? How about…oh, is it the lack of contest stuff you're doing? Have you thought about being a judge?"

"That's a really great idea actually." He smiled, but she could see that whatever he was moping about wouldn't be solved so easily.

She sighed. "Eat your ice cream before it melts."

"Do you want it?" He pushed it towards her.

"Okay, now I know something's definitely up and you, mister, are not getting out of it. I will come to your house and stay there until you tell me. You've already pretty much told me Steven's done or said something, so it's only a matter of time before I squeeze it out of you." She scooped his ice cream into her bowl.

"Forget I ever mentioned anything."

"As if. I can't just forget weeks of you casually mentioning him nearly every time we talk. I mean, I have a theory, sure, but I know you'll say I'm wrong straight off the bat."

He looked at her expectantly.

"Nope, I'm not saying a word."

"But I just gave you my ice cream."

She took a big scoop and shoved it in her mouth, saying nothing.

**oo**

"Wallace, why is Winona calling to interrogate me?" Steven asked, wondering why he'd ever exchanged numbers with her.

"What?"

"She just rang asking a load of questions and then decided she didn't like my answers and started accusing me of saying or doing something. I don't really know what she's on about."

"Just ignore her. She thinks something's up, but everything's fine."

"Is it?" Steven asked seriously.

"Yeah, and it's not like you're a factor if you're all the way in Sinnoh." That sounded a bit harsh. "I just mean that you haven't done anything and she's just paranoid or something."

"Mm-hm." It didn't sound like Steven was buying it. "And that's why she's trying to ring again? Now I'm starting to think something's up. So, truthfully, is anything wrong? Are you okay?"

"What? I'm fine. You guys need to give me a break. Look, I'm going to hang up and call Winona."

"Alright, but I will be calling you back, Wallace."

He sighed as he cut the call and dialled Winona's number.

"Winona?"

"Oh, hey, Wallace. How's it going?"

"You need to stop calling Steven."

He heard a nervous laugh at the other end. "Oh, you heard about that already? I just wanted to chat."

"He said you started accusing him of things."

"Oh come on, it wasn't like that. I just…okay, maybe I was pushing a little hard, but I'm only trying to help."

"I don't need help. What could I possibly need help with?" Wallace sounded exasperated.

"I didn't want to come right out and say it, but I guess it's going to be that way." He heard her clear her throat. "You have some serious feelings for your friend here and you're not admitting it to anyone. I don't even think you're being honest with yourself. I know you two have a history of losing contact, but you're adults now. He calls you at least once a week, right?"

"Yeah."

"And yet you still say you miss him and can't wait to see him again. Now, we've been friends for a long time. I've never seen you like this about anyone. Even before you reunited at the league you never pined after him like this. I'm also betting that you never said all this stuff about me when I went off on my adventure and we didn't see each other for a while, can you at least confirm that for me?"

"You're right."

"So, that brings me to my theory, which I doubt you'll confirm, but I'm also not entirely sure you'll deny. I guess I want you to go home and think about what I'm saying –"

"Wait, Steven's trying to call."

"Oh my god, Wallace, I'm getting to the serious bit. Wait, wait – tell him to pick up if I call him after. I promise I'll make it short."

Wallace switched to Steven.

"Are things good?"

"Yeah, she's giving me some kind of lecture-stroke-pep talk. Oh, and she said she'll ring you again, but it'll be quick."

"Wallaaaace, I told you to tell her _not_ to call me."

"I know, but if you don't pick up when she does you'll never hear the end of it. Anyway, I better get back to her."

He ended the call. "I'm back."

"Good," she said. "So, as I was saying, my theory. I think you have a crush on Steven. There, I said it." Wallace was speechless at the other end. "No quick outright denial? That's a shame; usually a dead give-away that I'm right…but prolonged silence like this? You're considering it, aren't you?"

Wallace had always been so caught up in his training that he'd never had any kind of romantic relationship. The idea that this longing feeling was love actually made some sense to him. "Okay, I'll think about that. But that's not a yes or a no – I may be a champion among Pokémon, but this kind of thing…I'm on the lowest rung."

"Enjoy mulling it over, I'm off to ring Steven."

"Wait – you're not going to tell him your theory, are you?" Wallace could feel the heat in his cheeks, glad no one was around to see.

"Not exactly, but I want to try and coax some of his feelings out. You know, see if you have a chance. I'll be your wingman."

"Winona, no, I haven't even thought about this, please…"

"Talk to you later, Wallace."

Before he could come up with something else to deter her she was gone.

He placed his Nav on the table and walked into his room, falling onto the bed. As he stared at the ceiling he thought about what Winona had said. Of course he couldn't deny that he really liked Steven, as a friend at least. He looked up to him and enjoyed spending time with him. But that was what all friends did, right? He remembered a dream from a few weeks ago in which they'd were on Mossdeep's shore. It was just like when they were young, but Steven was kissing him and…he remembered the alarm going off just at the right moment. He didn't need to have awkward dreams like that. But it was just a dream, nothing more than the brain coming up with random ideas as usual. For a moment he felt the need to think of other crazy dreams he'd had, but if he didn't tell anyone then he didn't need to justify it.

Moving on then… Steven's personality was pretty attractive he supposed, barring the bit where he goes off and doesn't contact people for various reasons. But when he cares for someone it really shows and it's very sweet. Then again couldn't he say all of this stuff about Winona too? Sure, she was a bit rougher around the edges, but what was it that made Steven different?

Maybe she had this all wrong. Maybe he actually just wanted to be surrounded by his friends constantly. Was he just being selfish?

He broadened his search for answers, thinking about things that were attractive to him. He thought about people he'd passed in the street, at contests and the like, how sometimes he saw a person that made him look twice and wonder what they were like. Sometimes he did that purely based on how they looked on the outside. He guessed he'd never looked at his closest friends like that, mainly because they'd met when he was too young to think about them like that. It's true that Steven's deeper voice had caught his attention when they'd first reunited, but soon it just became his voice, Wallace having forgotten how he used to sound. Now that he thought about it, Steven's voice was smooth and pleasant. No one else sounded quite like him. And then there was the way he held himself in his suits. A good suit could make anyone look good, but Steven rocked the look. His shoulders were perfect for blazers, probably from all the caving he does. Wallace started to wonder what other parts of his body had been refined from all the manual work and nope, _nope_, no. He knew that he found the male physique attractive and thinking of Steven like this really wasn't going to help him right now.

He pulled a pillow over his face as if that would help block out the thoughts. What would Steven say about any of this? That was a conversation he certainly wasn't ready for.

**OooO**

Winona was on his case until he finally said, his exact words being, "I may be a little bit attracted to Steven Stone." At which point she bombarded him with questions, mainly pertaining to whether or not he would be asking Steven out on a date; where they would go, what they would do and how long before anything happened.

"Winona, can we not ask questions like that in the middle of a café?"

"Eh, why not? I doubt anyone's actually listening."

"That's not really the point. I'd rather not talk about that in general."

She wagged her eyebrows. "So you have thought about it?"

"What? No!" He quickly brought his tea to his lips in an attempt to hide his red face. It was one time. He'd only ever thought about it _once_.

"Haha, okay, if you're going to be like that maybe I don't want to know."

"Winona, you're making it worse with all these insinuations. It was totally innocent."

"_Totally_ innocent? You only ever use that word when something's not quite right."

Now if she'd just leave him to die of shame.

"So, I'm just going to go and make a phone call," she said cheerily. "I think Steven will want to hear all about this."

"No no no. Don't say a thing."

"Okay, so you call him and tell him about all these feelings you have for him." Winona wished she had a photo of his face after that suggestion.

"How about I wait until he gets back?"

"And when will that be?"

"Soon."

'Soon' wasn't soon enough for Wallace. Winona was pretty much constantly on his case about what he was going to do when Steven finally did return.

**oo**

"Wallace? You upstairs?"

Sidney's voice was at the end of his Nav.

"Yes, is this challenger looking to be a decent challenge?" All 5 of them were notified of challengers, but Wallace didn't often get so meet them, so he often left it to Sidney and Phoebe to judge whether he should prepare for a battle.

"Looks like he's going to go all the way," Sidney said.

"Okay, thank you."

He waited for Phoebe to call and sure enough she did. Glacia only called if the challenger failed and Drake needn't say anything but push the button to give the green light.

Wallace was waiting when the man walked in. He appeared to be a fan of hiking by his clothes, his face in the shadow of his wide brimmed hat.

"Hello, Wallace." The voice was all he needed to hear to know it was Steven in front of him. He looked up with a smile, whipping the hat off.

"Steven!" Wallace ran towards him and pulled him into a tight hug.

"So no one gave me away then?"

Wallace shook his head, still holding on to the other as if he might disappear if he let him go.

"Jeez, it's like you haven't heard from me every week or something."

Wallace loosened his hold and pulled back so he could see Steven's face. "I missed you."

Steven smiled. Of course Wallace didn't expect him to say anything like that back, the only time he'd say that was to his rock collection.

"So, is this the part where you tell me something?" Steven asked, aware that Wallace still had his arms around him.

"Hm? What kind of something?" It was an odd request.

Steven shrugged and gently removed Wallace's arms. "Winona said you had something to tell me when I was back. I couldn't fathom why you couldn't say it over the Nav."

"Did she really?" Clearly she was trying to back him into a corner. He guessed that he might as well just get it over with; he'd spent enough time thinking about it and he didn't want to keep dreaming about something if Steven was never going to reciprocate.

"Well?"

Wallace swooped in and placed a quick kiss on Steven's cheek. "That's what she wanted me to tell you." And now he wanted to run away and hide, but that wouldn't do. If he could stand on stage in front of thousands then he could certainly stand here in front of one man and receive judgement.

"…Right. That, um, said a lot." Confusion was on Steven's face. "So –"

Wallace cupped his face and in a bold move brought their lips together. "Making more sense?"

Steven nodded. "Yeah, definitely. I, er, don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. I just wanted you to know…" the words got caught in his throat. If he actually said them it would make everything so much more real. "I love you." He said it looking straight into Steven's eyes, not breaking the connection however much he wanted to.

Steven put a hand on Wallace's shoulder. "Thank you for being honest. I can't say that I feel the same way, but I guess I've never even thought about you as more than a friend. You know I treasure you and never wanted to destroy our friendship. So, I guess I'm also saying I commend you on being brave enough to step over that line. I wasn't expecting this, so I have to apologise about leaving now. It was only supposed to be a quick pop in to say hello…"

"Oh, it's no problem. I realise I did just kind of throw this on you and right after a long trip." Honestly he was rather relieved. Steven's small ramble showed that they both needed some time to mull over this revelation.

"Yeah, Sinnoh's no quick trip." Steven picked up the hat he'd walked in with. "I'll catch up with you properly later."

Well, that could have gone a lot worse. Five minutes later he was on the phone to Winona.

**OooO**

The pair of them looked particularly nice when they had dinner at the Ever Grande Hotel. Both of them felt a need to keep up appearances being Champion and soon-to-be-returning Champion.

"We've got a deal with the Pokétch Company which should help them as much as it will us, but that was the boring part of the trip." Steven was recounting his Sinnoh adventure. "They've got lots of different fossils over there that I had to find. They're not easy to get, at least not in Mt. Coronet – another reason why I came back later."

"How is business on this end?"

"It's good. But if you're asking how long until I return here…I'd give it a few weeks. Have you enjoyed your time as Champion?"

"More than I thought I would."

"Maybe you can fill in for me more often then." The look on Steven's face told him he wasn't joking.

"I'd be glad to, but you know, I'll be going back to being a leader. I know Juan enjoys it, but I feel a little bad for roping him back in."

"I didn't mean to make it sound like I'd be asking you to help frequently. I could probably go off without saying a thing for a few days and no one would realise I'd been gone."

Their main courses were brought out and set before them.

"Anyway, I was thinking about, um, what you said when I came back, you know."

Wallace nodded, trying not to appear fazed.

"And I thought, why not! I mean a few dates never hurt anyone, so let's test the waters and see what happens."

Speechless. Absolutely speechless was what Wallace was. He had imagined many different scenarios for how Steven would tackle this subject, but this was definitely not the outcome he had banked on. He put down his cutlery and extended his arm across the table. Steven placed his hand in Wallace's.

"Thank you for this chance."

Steven smiled. "You know I'm expecting you to be really romantic and take me to cute cafes and go on moonlit beach walks."

"Oh? Consider that challenge accepted." Wallace smirked, ideas running through his mind. "Just don't complain when you can't take it. I know exactly how to make you fall for me with one date."

"Is that so?" Steven cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh yes." Wallace bent forward and lowered his voice to a whisper. "I'm going to take you to a cave."

"I'm swooning already, honey."

The pair of them burst out laughing. Wallace couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the evening. It was just so relieving that Steven was willing to go along with this as well as being a great sport.

"So call me when you've got the first date planned, but keep it a surprise."

Wallace scoffed. "As if I was going to let such information slip."

"Winona might tell me if I ask nicely."

"Oh no, she said she'd stay out of the way from now on. Have a safe journey home."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Steven asked.

Wallace drew a blank. Steven stepped towards him and kissed him lightly. "The game's begun. It wouldn't do to have your date leave without a goodbye kiss."

Oh, that's how it was going to be? Wallace pulled Steven against him as he began to walk away, pressing his lips more firmly against Steven's. "Slow and steady wins the race."


	6. Chapter 6

"I feel as if I should have worn something a shade or two lighter." Steven sat in his usual black suit on the balcony of a very white café. At least he could say it looked remarkably clean. Wallace sat across from him, looking like he belonged here.

"Don't you like it?" Wallace thought somewhere quaint by the sea would be nice. Lilycove's small café by the lighthouse seemed a perfect choice. "You did ask for this after all."

"It's perfect in that sense. Very cosy." They were sat at a table small enough that their knees brushed against each other if one of them moved.

A waiter set down a sundae between them. Wallace picked the cherry off the top and brought it closer to Steven. "Open wide."

Steven bit the cherry from the stem before taking the stem. Wallace watched as Steven tied the stem into a knot with his tongue.

"Where did you learn that?"

"A business party. It can be really boring sometimes."

Wallace picked up a spoon and scooped some cream off the top of the sundae. "Maybe you can teach me some time." He pushed the spoon towards Steven who ate the cream.

"Am I allowed to eat anything by myself?" His hand hovered over the other spoon.

"I guess I've had my fun."

Once they had finished their sundae they walked down onto the beach. Lilycove's beach wasn't long as Mossdeep's, but this late in the evening no one was around so space wasn't an issue. They walked down the shore hand in hand before finding a spot to lie down and stare up at the moon and stars.

"Did you know it'd be a full moon?" Steven asked.

"I got lucky."

"I'm glad. It's beautiful."

Wallace looked over to him. "You're beautiful."

Steven squeezed his hand. "I'm nothing compared to you."

That caught Wallace off guard. His natural reaction was to say "Really?" He kind of wished he hadn't, but if Steven elaborated he wouldn't mind.

"Yeah, you always seem to put a lot of effort into your appearance and it pays off. You're naturally pretty though, always have been." Steven brought a hand to Wallace's face. "Your skin's so smooth too. I don't think I've ever seen you with a spot. What, did you skip that bit of puberty?"

"Maybe you would have seen one if you hadn't cooped yourself up in Victory Road for so long – wait, is that the real reason you wouldn't see me? Was the acne too bad?"

Steven balled his hand into a fist and gently pressed against Wallace's cheek. "Mean."

"Well, it's true that your skin would be a lot different if you spent more time outside. You look the less like a Hoenn native than some people from different regions I've met. So, that's why our next date is to the beach when the sun's up." Wallace placed a hand on Steven's stomach and ran it up to his chest. "I'll slather you in sun cream and let you get some colour."

"In other words, you just want to see me with less clothes."

"That's an added bonus. I'm just making sure you get enough vitamin D. God knows you didn't get enough up north."

**OooO**

The beach connected to Slateport city on route 109 was the place Wallace chose to take Steven. For a proper beach experience there wasn't a better place in Hoenn, plus they had never been here together.

It had been so long since Wallace had seen Steven in shorts and a t-shirt that he almost didn't recognise the other. At least he looked the part.

"Can we get a parasol?" was the first thing Steven asked. "I know you said this was a tanning trip and stuff, but what if I burn? Can we at least just burn half of me rather than all of me?"

"You're not going to burn."

"But I'm practically a sun virgin."

"Uh-huh, all those days we spent in the sun as kids don't count?"

Wallace had him there. "Please?" Steven grinned.

"Fine, we'll get a parasol."

They found a pair of sun loungers and got comfortable. At first Steven wanted to back out and keep his shirt on to minimise the area exposed to the sun, but once Wallace had forced the cream everywhere else on his body he figured he might as well.

"This stuff is horrible," Steven complained. "I feel so sticky."

"The other option is burning." Wallace squirted lotion on Steven's exposed back and began to massage it in.

"I'm not sure why I agreed to this, but I guess this back rub is pretty good."

Wallace continued to work Steven's muscles even after he'd finished putting the cream on. If Steven was enjoying it then sure he was going to make the most of this opportunity.

"You're mad."

Wallace was sprawled on his sun lounger, the sun beating down on him, only a pair of small trunks blocking the rays. He'd even pushed back his fringe for even coverage. "It's lovely. You should try it."

"Maybe another time. Do you do this often?"

"It's a luxury. I don't often take the time to dedicate a day to it. I'll ask Winona if she likes the sun more than you."

"Aw, are you dumping me for Winona now?"

"Winona's my friend who wants to do everything with me that my boyfriend finds boring."

'Boyfriend'. Steven hadn't really thought about that…that's what they were right now he supposed. It was kind of cute.

They wasted the day away talking and bathing in the sun, Wallace only taking a break from the sun to eat lunch. Steven watched in amazement as the other turned like clockwork every hour.

"Do you want to go and cool off?" Wallace asked.

"What, are you finally done?"

"I think that's enough sun for one day. So, are you up for a swim?"

"I can't promise it won't turn into a water fight."

"Don't you dare get my hair wet," Wallace said jokingly.

They raced off to the water, Wallace diving forward and making a swim for it. Steven didn't bother trying to follow him, running in as far as he could before sending waves of water in Wallace's direction.

"If I'd brought my Pokémon with me, you'd be in so much trouble right now." Wallace stopped and splashed water back. "What? Are you afraid to come any closer?"

"Not at all, this is strategy," Steven replied. "I know you're fantastic in the water. If I get much closer you'll have an advantage."

"Can I propose a truce? I won't splash you if you swim over here and kiss me."

Steven paused to think before swimming over. He pecked Wallace's lips before bringing his hands crashing through the water's surface. "You didn't say anything about me not splashing you."

Wallace put a hand on his head and dunked him under. "Well, I did say 'splash', right?"

Their time in the sea came to an end when they were both out of energy. Steven offered to fly them back home, telling Wallace he really needed to invest some time in getting a Pokémon that could fly. It was one thing to ride the currents down to Slateport, but going back was no easy feat.

The sun was setting as they neared Sootopolis, the sky a beautiful gradient from orange to pink.

"Wallace, wake up." The water trainer had long since fallen asleep, resting against Steven's back.

"Mm? ...Oh, wow. It's even more beautiful from up here."

Wallace watched the colours slowly changing as they descended into Sootopolis. The comfort of Wallace's house was very welcome after a day of sun loungers and Skarmory's steel back. Steven ended up falling asleep in an armchair, but woke up in bed next to Wallace, surprised he'd been carried upstairs without waking up. He must have been really tired.

"Good morning." Wallace kissed his forehead after placing a cup of coffee on the bedside table. Wallace never drank coffee, but he had a stash just for when Steven came round.

"Sorry I fell asleep like that."

"It's no problem. I should apologise for laying on you during the flight back."

Steven took a sip of coffee; it was still a bit too hot. "So, you finally managed to get me in your bed."

"I don't know what you're implying, but I can assure you I was too tired to do anything more than throw you on it and collapse myself. Not that I would have done anything had that not been the case."

Steven grabbed his shirt and pulled him down. "I trust you." He kissed him gently and Wallace melted into it. There was something immensely relaxing about being with Steven in his home as opposed to out somewhere where someone could walk past anytime.

Neither of them wanted to let go. Steven's arms were snaking their way around Wallace's neck, one travelling into his hair. Wallace was not so brave, worried that he might cross some invisible line with one wrong movement.

"Steven," he said when they broke for air.

"Yeah?" his voice was quiet.

"I'm burning the breakfast." He didn't particularly want to admit that early morning make out sessions were probably a bit too much for him to handle. Unless Steven was intentionally trying to get under his skin, but wasn't that going a bit too fast?

All of his worrying about how their relationship should pan out seemed to be for nothing. The rest of the morning was as normal as could be between the two of them. Wallace made breakfast and soon after Steven departed, still smelling of the sea.

**OooO**

They say that three dates is the ideal number. By that time you should have decided if you actually liked the person you were dating. Sure, Steven liked him in a friendly manner, but after today he'd be asking whether this was going to continue, because he really didn't need to fall in love any deeper than this. The last two dates had been enough for him to realise he loved Steven Stone way more than he'd thought.

Today, as promised, Wallace was taking him to a cave.

"I figured we'd stay local after our exhausting adventure last week," Wallace said as they stood outside the Shoal Cave.

Steven took his hand and led the way. The floors of the cave were still wet from high tide, but it didn't bother Steven. He walked through the cave with ease, he knew every inch of it.

"Where are we going?" Wallace asked.

"To the part I think you'll appreciate the most."

They walked into the ice room, the cold temperature being the first thing that hit Wallace. He didn't know such a place existed in Hoenn. He had never really questioned why the only ice Pokémon in the region chose this cave, but here was the answer. The place was beautiful, full of various ice formations and Pokémon he hadn't seen on the upper levels.

"This is incredible."

"I thought you'd like it. So, were you planning to help me find something cool?"

"I'll give it a try."

Steven handed him a small pickaxe. "Give that a try."

Wallace found that he wasn't very good at digging. He did okay with tapping along the wall to find a good spot to dig, but the actual digging…he ended up leaving that to Steven. It was so much more difficult than Steven made it look, but perhaps Steven was just so determined to get to whatever was in the rock. Instead Wallace took up the job of sanding away the excess and cleaning what was underneath. They made quite a team and in the end Steven was more than pleased that he could go home with a small haul that he didn't have to do any aftercare with.

"Steven, I need to ask you something," Wallace announced while they were still making their way through the cave. "This is our third date and I…I want to know where you want to go from here."

"I'm really enjoying this. I'd like to have more."

"That's not what I'm asking. I need to know how you feel about me. I can't continue this pretending that you might feel something for me."

Steven placed his rocks down before taking both of Wallace's hands in his own. "Wallace, I'm not leading you on. I wouldn't do that to you." He brought a hand to his lips. "I knew from the first date that I could feel more for you than just friendship."

"Why didn't you say something earlier?"

"I wanted to be sure." Steven moved in to kiss him, slowly, carefully caressing him. "Besides, it was really cute to watch you be romantic."

"Stop ruining the moment," Wallace muttered as he placed his arms around Steven, taking advantage of the permission he'd just been granted.

"We don't really have time for a moment." Steven broke away and picked up his rocks. "If we don't get a move on we might end up with waterlogged shoes."

"If you hadn't have spent so long digging we wouldn't have that problem."

"Stop complaining. I spent the best part of a day on a beach last weekend because of you. A few hours in a cave is nothing."

When they left the cave it was already dark and Steven invited Wallace to stay the night with him.

"I know that usually a request like this would seem really sudden, but given our current living arrangements it honestly isn't," Steven said as they lay in his bed, "but how about we both stay in Ever Grande as Champions? We can share the few challengers we get, Sidney can tell us who would be better suited and it would be really fun. It's not like either of us are tied there then, but we'll share the Champ suite and come and go as we please."

"Don't feel like kicking me out?"

Steven was due to return as Champion on Monday which meant that Wallace was due to return to Sootopolis full time, but here was an opportunity. It sure would prepare him for how Steven was around the house in case their relationship escalated to a point where they moved in together permanently.

"If I'm honest, dad mentioned me going back to Sinnoh for a short trip and doing a few other business things, so right now it'd be pretty handy to keep you around. But I want to keep you close for personal reasons. One date a week isn't enough time with you." Steven closed the distance between them.

They enjoyed each other for a while before falling asleep in each other's arms, neither of them going too far in their touches.


	7. Chapter 7

The first thing he noticed about living with Steven was the amount of rocks that appeared around the apartment. He didn't mind, but it made the place look a lot messier than before. Steven was actually a pretty clean and tidy person, it was just the rocks that let him down. He didn't have time to have any other lasting effects on the house seeing as just over a week later he was sent back to Sinnoh.

"I'm going back to Sinnoh because you didn't take me on a date last weekend," Steven joked as he ran out of the door. He was back seconds later to kiss Wallace's forehead.

Although this trip was a lot shorter than the previous one, Wallace still missed Steven. They were in a honeymoon period of their relationship after all. When he missed the other he'd pick up one of Steven's many treasures and study it. The fossils didn't particularly interest him, but the evolution stones were beautiful in his eyes. He could understand why Steven would collect them. The water stones were his favourite of all, he didn't care that he was biased.

There was no big entrance when Steven returned. Wallace simply woke to find the other sleeping beside him, bag still packed on the table. The smell of breakfast cooking roused Steven from his sleep.

"Welcome back. How was it?"

"I didn't get to visit any caves," Steven said sadly.

"Maybe we'll go on a trip for leisure some time."

Steven stared at him. "No. There's no way you'll be able to stand it."

"Anything for you, my love."

"You barely lasted a few hours in Shoal, what makes you think you'll survive weeks of me going back to the same cave? I'm telling you that you can't come with me, just so I don't have to listen to you complain."

"I'll just go the beaches."

"You'll be disappointed."

Wallace pouted. "Fine."

"How was your fortnight?"

"Pretty average."

"I noticed you've organised the rocks."

"Yeah, I was bored without you, dear."

Steven scoffed. "Really? Poor Winona. Are you sure you didn't enlist her and a small Pokémon army to rearrange them all? I mean I really am impressed. It looks like they're all just part of the house decorations. Sorry I left them lying about and for the fact that I'll be out all day in Rustboro."

Steven returned later that evening with a cake from Rustboro's popular bakery. It was lemon cake, something that Wallace could never refuse a slice of.

"Happy birthday." Steven handed Wallace a small box. "Did you think I'd forgotten?"

"No, I know you were tired and had a lot to do earlier, but I never really believed you could forget. Maybe you didn't realise the date."

"That's why I went to Sinnoh so quickly, so I could be back for today…well, tonight, again apologies for being out all day."

Wallace turned his attention to the box, unwrapping it carefully. Inside was a small item made of shells.

"It's a shell bell," Steven said, "made from the shells and salts of the Shoal Cave." It was definitely the kind of gift Steven would think of. "It's more than a pretty thing too; good for your Pokémon's health."

"It's lovely, thank you." Wallace pulled him into an embrace. "How was your day?"

"It was fine," Steven said quickly. "But today isn't about me. Did you want to go anywhere this evening?"

"I'm happy to stay in with you, maybe watch something together." He'd spent the day out seeing everyone else, so a relaxing evening suited him.

Steven disappeared into the kitchen and returned holding a cake full of lit candles. He began to sing softly. "Happy birthday to you…" Wallace realised he'd never heard him sing, it was quite nice. "Make a wish."

That was easy enough to think of. He looked up into Steven's illuminated face as he blew out the candles.

"Do you want a slice for during the film?"

Wallace chose a sweet rom-com for the evening's entertainment. Steven supposed that it was the cliché thing that all new couples had to do, sort of a rite of passage. Still, it meant that he didn't have to concentrate on what was happening too much, not that it was a bad film, but he was much more interested in making Wallace comfortable and playing with his hair.

Even Wallace chose to stop watching and pay more attention to Steven. The pecks on the cheek quickly escalated to tongues battling for dominance. It started off like all the other times they'd lost themselves in each other. They would touch until one of them pulled away, usually that was Wallace, never wanting to make Steven feel uncomfortable, knowing that he could definitely let himself feel the moment a lot more than he allowed himself to. They got to that stage and Wallace returned to the film, still in Steven's embrace, but Steven wouldn't let him off so lightly tonight. His hands continued to trace Wallace's jaw and neck, then his lips replaced them, brushing lightly against the skin at first, but then gently sucking.

"Steven…"

His trail of kisses changed direction, going from his neck to his ear while a hand around Wallace's waist snuck under the fabric of his shirt.

Wallace took hold of Steven's arm and held it in place. Steven waited for Wallace to tell him to stop, but the other just sat there before slowing releasing his grip.

"Is this okay?" Steven whispered in his ear.

"I was going to say that you don't know what you're getting yourself into, but clearly you do."

"I want to make you feel good on your birthday." Steven's hands resumed moving across Wallace's skin.

"Well, if this is part of my present then I want to touch you too."

Steven put his head on Wallace's shoulder as he idly brushed against a nipple. "But I was supposed to be your servant for the evening."

"Oh? Then I'm ordering you to let me touch you."

The arms holding Wallace loosened to allow him to turn and face Steven. "As you wish, _master_."

Wallace started to undo Steven's shirt buttons while hands continued to roam his upper half, slowing pushing his top up. He stopped to whip it off, feeling just a little exposed, not that it should have mattered. After their beach escapade why should he care if Steven saw his chest? It wasn't that, he realised. It was the fact that Steven now had unrestricted access to that part of him, but soon he would get the same. One last button freed Steven from the shirt.

Wallace ran his hands across Steven's back as he kissed and sucked at Wallace's chest. The strength of Steven's back was not new to him, but last time he'd touched it he hadn't allowed himself to take pleasure from the feeling. Steven spent a long time worshipping his chest, making Wallace more and more impatient with whatever he was planning. It was a very enjoyable thing, but Steven was dragging it out now, making him yearn to be touched elsewhere. Surely Steven couldn't be oblivious to the hardness pressed against him?

"Steven," Wallace whined.

The other smiled at him, hands coming down to undo trousers and relieve Wallace of his last pieces of clothing. Now he felt really exposed, but he couldn't find the time to care. Steven slowly ran a hand along his thigh.

"How much longer do you plan to torture me?"

"Such a strong word. I'm just making sure you're feeling it. I know you love to stop when things start to heat up."

"I think we passed that point a while ago now."

"I'm just making sure. Besides, isn't this going to be a memorable first time? Unless you really do have something to tell me about Winona."

Wallace pressed forward and kissed him. "Shut up. You know you're the only one. Now touch me before I think of a worse way to make it memorable for you."

Steven took hold of Wallace's member and brushed his thumb over the head causing Wallace to moan in relief. "It's already memorable for me. You're the first person I've loved."

Steven flipped their positions so that Wallace was sitting on the sofa instead. He got down between Wallace's legs, looking up into aqua eyes as he took the other into his mouth.

"Oh my god." Wallace couldn't contain himself as Steven sucked. Part of him wanted to stop so they could experience pleasure equally, but the other part was enjoying this way too much to even consider stopping. After all this could be a one-time birthday present, so he had to make the most of it, right? He didn't want it to end either, but Steven had done a really good job of turning him on.

"Steven, stop or I'll -" As soon as Steven heard the word 'stop' he made it his mission not to let up at all. "Oh my – ahh – S-Steven –" he moaned loudly as he came, Steven still milking him gently until Wallace touched his head to stop.

"Good birthday present?"

Wallace nodded, still catching his breath. "The best." Steven sat back next to him and Wallace began to caress his cock through the trousers he was still wearing. "Your turn." He undid the buttons and freed Steven from his underwear, kissing him as he rubbed the shaft.

Steven was a very quiet person, the only thing that told Wallace that he was enjoying it was the way his hips moved and how his face changed expression as he got closer to the edge. Wallace wanted to repay Steven with more than his hand, but the want to see his face when he did release was stronger. This was the guy who always tried to play it cool and even right now he looked like this was just another everyday thing, it almost pissed Wallace off. Clearly he'd have to work harder to make Steven sweat and beg. To make him moan and let the world know that he was really enjoying this. Next time he would truly replay Steven in kind.

Steven gripped him tightly as he released, a small moan escaping him. That was better. Wallace licked the semen from his hand, feeling accomplished. Who'd have thought his day would end with him making Steven come? The film had long since finished, but Wallace was still happy to sit there with Steven's arm around him watching the credits roll.

"If you want to stay like this then help me out," Steven motioned to the mess on his stomach, "or I'll meet you in bed for snuggling and whatnot."

Wallace got up and retrieved a tissue, wiping away the mess they'd made. "I still want in-bed snuggles." He traipsed off to the bedroom.

Height differences would have Steven as the little spoon, but Wallace much preferred it the other way round.

"I love you," Wallace whispered.

"I love you too." Hearing the words still made his heart flutter.

"'The first', you said."

Steven hummed in agreement.

"So there were other people in the past that you didn't love?"

"Yeah, it was during that experimental teenage phase. We met in a cave, no surprise there, but it just didn't work out at all. Honestly I don't know what I was thinking that time. I guess I was blinded by her interest in fossils and she was interested in me so I just went along with it. Don't suppose you have any funny stories about silly teen relationships?"

"Unfortunately not. I didn't sit still in caves like you, hardly anyone could keep up, well, there was the time I spent in Sootopolis, but nothing there either."

"Winona could though."

Wallace jabbed his elbow into Steven. "Yes, she trains flying Pokémon that allow her to get to places really quickly. She's also a really cool friend. But if you make another comment about her being more than that I might have to throw all of your rocks out." If there was a threat that would get Steven right in the heart it was that one.

"Don't be so mean. You know I'm joking, right?"

"The joke's well past its sell-by date."

Steven kissed his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'll tell you about the only other relationship I was in then, because you might meet her one day. Then you can feel free to make all the annoying comments you can think of. This was while I was in Sinnoh, before you said anything to me."

"Is she the reason you stayed?"

"No, I really did only stay for the caves, our relationship didn't last…I think it was a month? Cynthia's the Champion of Sinnoh at the moment. When she heard I was there she wanted to meet. Honestly, she's a really cool person and I enjoyed spending time with her. We tried to be more than friends, but I had to tell her that I just wasn't feeling the same way. She understood and we're still friends. Well, I guess we kind of still continued to be friends with benefits after, but I've told her that that had to stop last time I was there."

Wallace squeezed his hand. It meant so much to him that Steven would do that. Sure, it was what anyone in a relationship should do, but it just reaffirmed that Steven really did care about him. He needed to stop doubting the other, but he couldn't help it. He loved Steven so much and constantly worried about losing him.

**OooO**

Having two champions was pretty handy, but when they were both busy it was a pretty awkward affair.

Wallace had Steven tied to the bed, his way of repaying Steven for the agony he'd caused last time. It took Steven a lot longer to get aroused than it did for Wallace, but that was fine, it just meant that the fun would last longer.

A finger was brushing lightly up and down Steven's shaft when the Nav rang. Wallace, being the only person with free hands, picked it up after seeing who was calling.

"Sidney?" Wallace didn't stop moving his finger. "He's a little busy at the moment, but I can take a message." He smiled and put the Nav down. "I might just have to leave you like this if a challenger makes it up here."

"I'm pretty comfortable at the minute."

"I've got time to change that. Don't worry, I'll make sure I leave you begging for me to stay."

Wallace used his other hand to tweak his nipples. There must be somewhere he could touch that would drive Steven crazy. Slowly Wallace began to explore more of Steven's body, watching for any change in his expression.

Nothing he did got a rise out of Steven before Phoebe rang to confirm the challenger was getting closer. It was then that Wallace had an idea. He changed the restraints so that he could easily flip Steven over. With the faintest touch he started to run his nails down Steven's back and that's when he felt the other shiver beneath him.

"Oh." Wallace couldn't help but voice his surprise. Slowly his touches increased their intensity until he was almost massaging the muscles in Steven's back. Sighs of enjoyment escaped him, but Wallace still wasn't satisfied with his tone. He still didn't sound like he was turned on.

Working on one place at a time didn't seem to be the winning strategy, so he changed tact. He lifted Steven's hips so that he could gently stroke his half-hard member while kissing and licking his back.

"Mmm…" The sound Steven made went straight to Wallace's dick. Now he knew he was on the right track he kept going, forgetting that he was supposed to be going painfully slow. He could feel the appendage in his hand growing harder, but the man it belonged to wasn't letting another sound escape.

"I want to hear you," Wallace whispered in his ear. The Nav rang and they both sighed. "I should make you answer," Wallace said. "Glacia, how did it go? …Excellent, thank you." He put down the Nav. "You're in luck. They didn't make it past her. Now, where was I?"

Instead of continuing where he left off he turned Steven over again, mainly so he could stop muffling the few sounds he did make in the pillow. Now that Steven was suitably aroused Wallace started to use his mouth to tease him. He sucked on the tip, swirling his tongue around, looking up to see Steven biting his lip. Well, if it was going that well, why stop? He kept going until Steven let out another sound, then he removed himself completely.

"Wallace?" There was the sound of need that he'd been waiting for.

"I think you're ready to be left."

Steven's face dropped. "You weren't serious were you? Come on, I didn't leave you hanging like this, I was just taking it slow."

"I like watching you beg for me."

Steven narrowed his eyes and smirked.

"Hm? What are you planning?"

Wallace watched as Steven's face melted into one of pleasure and he started to moan and breathe heavily. "Ngh, Wallace, please. Ah – yes – right there! Oh, oh god, fuck me!"

Well, he had to applaud his performance and ingenuity. "I'll touch you if you make let me hear those noises for real. Stop holding them back."

"As you wish."

He leant over Steven and kissed him, hand trailing down to where it had been not long ago. "Can I fuck you?"

"I don't know, can you?"

Wallace stopped everything. "I cannot believe you. For that poor joke I should just leave you here until your dick goes soft, then I'd come back and make you hard again only to leave you begging me to come back. And because of that joke I wouldn't."

"You know you love my humour and its terrible timing."

"And you know the only reason I won't actually follow through on that is because I want you too much. If I wasn't already this far in I might've you know." Wallace reached into the bedside drawer and pulled out a bottle of lube.

"Oh? You had this planned?" Steven asked as he watched Wallace quickly undress; he wasn't one to get anything dirty.

"I left it there just in case." Of course he'd hoped they'd one day get to a stage where a little extra something was required. He returned to touching Steven, a finger teasing his entrance before sliding in smoothly. That earned him a reaction. "Let me know how it feels."

"Odd, for sure."

A second finger joined the first, Steven's discomfort audible. Wallace was gentle, carefully stretching him, waiting for him to relax more before moving on.

"Oh my god," Steven couldn't help but exclaim as Wallace pushed into him.

It took all of his willpower not to start slamming into the other straight away. Who knew it would feel this good just to be in him. He gripped Steven's hips as he slowly began to move, watching Steven's blushing face.

"Touch me, Wallace."

He obliged, stroking Steven in time with his thrusts, and his reward was a very vocal lover. At first he thought that this was just Steven living up to his promise, but the way he gripped the headboard said otherwise.

"Right there, Wallace," Steven moaned.

He'd found it. He'd found the place that made Steven moan like a porn star. Each sound was music to his ears, making him more lost in the moment. It didn't take long for Steven's breath to hitch and be followed by a long moan as he climaxed. The euphoric expression on his face as he rode out his orgasm had Wallace on the edge. All he wanted was to replay this moment time and time again. His thrusts got needier and his gasps louder as he reached his own release, pushing into Steven as much as he could with each wave of pleasure.

Wallace collapsed next to Steven and loosened his restraints. Immediately Steven rolled on top of him, kissing him passionately.

"So, I take it you enjoyed that?"

"That was the best sex I've ever had. I want to do it again tomorrow."

Wallace couldn't help the massive smile that came over him. "Oh, I don't know if I'm available, I might be a little busy."

Steven sat on him, pouting. "Well then I'll just have to sit here so you can't go anywhere."

"Any other time I'd be more than happy for you to do that, but right now maybe not." Wallace stroked his face tenderly. "How about I treat you to a relaxing bath instead of us sitting here with my cum dripping out of your ass."

"Wow, that was so romantically put."

Wallace smirked. "You deserve to have your afterglow destroyed after that 'can you?' comment earlier."

"I thought you loved me for all my flaws. Besides, we wouldn't be in this position if you'd stocked up on condoms as well as lube."

He pulled Steven's face close and kissed him. "I love everything about you, and I'll keep that in mind for tomorrow."


	8. Chapter 8

"We've got post." Steven held up an envelope.

"We?" Wallace looked closer to see it had both of their names on it. He wondered who could possibly be mailing them and knowing they lived together. Nearly everyone in the know had their numbers.

Steven opened it up and Wallace moved to read over his shoulder. "Well, this should be fun."

It was an invitation to the Unova region to participate in the Pokémon World Tournament. It seemed to be the biggest gathering of the best trainers ever attempted in their lifetimes.

"You do want to go, right?"

"I look forward to it," Wallace said as his Nav rang. "Winona! You called just as I got some interesting news… Oh? Well, that's great, that's just what I was calling about."

The mainline rang and Steven picked it up. "Oh, hello, Juan… Yeah, he's talking to Winona… Same, we're going to go… Uh-huh, both of us…"

They both ended their calls and waited for a moment wondering if there would be another call.

"You do realise we'll be going up against other champions, right?" Wallace asked.

Steven nodded. "We should train. We might even get to face each other again. I still haven't had my revenge for you beating me all those years ago."

"You wouldn't beat me on an international stage, would you, dear?"

"Hey, it's my pride on the line too. Every region will be watching." Steven's face changed, as if he'd just realised something. "Oh, can we make a holiday out of this? I want to see their caves while we're there."

Wallace couldn't help but laugh. This was exactly the response he should have been expecting when they opened that letter.

Unova was a nice place to be in the spring. It was so different to what Wallace was used to, but it did make a pleasant change. The fact that he was there with all the gym leaders from Hoenn was also a great experience. He got to spend some quality time with Winona and Juan, something he'd been doing less of since he and Steven got together, but he also got to meet leaders he'd faced during his own journey as well as some new faces. Tate and Liza were a surprise, they looked just like their parents who used to run the Mossdeep gym. Yet the most interesting part was sitting down with all the other champions from the other regions. To think that this group of people were the best from their respective region really did make him wonder how different the places were. He was pleased to see that he and Steven weren't the only double champions. Red and Blue seemed to be sharing the crown, but Alder was only here because Iris had invited him, having recently taken over.

Then there was Cynthia. Wallace had wondered what it would be like to meet her. If someone had asked him to pair people based on how they looked he would have put them together straight away. Her black attire was a perfect complement to Steven's and it made her look just as intimidating.

Wallace watched as Steven greeted her, suddenly aware that they were about to be introduced and he had no idea what to say.

"Ah, the famous Wallace," she said, holding out a hand. He shook it as she continued, "I'm a big fan of yours. I was hoping you'd come and participate in Sinnoh's Grand Festival some time."

"Oh? Really?" He was flattered. It dawned on him that he was actually one of the more famous champions here. "I didn't realise I had fans overseas. Maybe I will make the trip."

He noticed Steven grinning. "Can we make a trip out of that too? I really want to go to Iron Island."

"Isn't that the part where you offer to look after the league?" Cynthia asked.

"As Champion I reserve the right to close it at any time."

"With the amount of time you spend in caves you'll need to find a replacement champion or face months' worth of complaints."

Wallace watched on and it didn't take much to see why these two were friends. She got his humour also more than Wallace himself did.

"…Yeah, well then I'll have to beat you."

"You have no chance, surely you realise that?"

Wallace had lost track of the conversation, but suddenly Steven was at his side trying to drag him into it. Cynthia was staring at him and he noticed she was actually quite tall, almost level with him.

"Maybe you could beat me," she said to him. "But you," she looked at Steven, "are going down."

"Have you two never battled?" Wallace asked.

"We did," Cynthia said.

"And I won." Steven was smiling and Cynthia lightly hit his head.

"You caught me at a bad time. I would have won if I was expecting to find you just digging about in Victory Road."

Wallace laughed, he honestly couldn't have imagined a better first-meeting story.

"But you had already said you'd meet me."

"Not then, not there. That wasn't what we agreed."

As he watched them argue, feeling that he was in for a long couple of weeks. It seemed that he'd be hanging out with other people when these two were together.

Steven and Cynthia did settle down after their first reunion, but Wallace still decided to take the opportunity to meet new people. He found Lance to be an interesting person to talk to, someone who had a similar team to him. While he ran a water/ice team, Lance was more of a dragon/flying person, but nearly all the other champions had variable teams. He also wore a cloak which instantly made him seem cooler. Through his conversations with Lance he met Iris who was also a master dragon trainer. They tried to convince him that he should get a dragon for his team.

He also decided to visit the gym leaders, after all he could have been here representing Sootopolis rather than Juan if he had returned to the gym sooner, but he was glad he hadn't, nothing was better than having all of his favourite people here. Juan introduced him to the other water specialists, the most popular type there. It was just like Cynthia had said, he was a popular person. Of the 4 leaders before him only Crasher Wake hadn't heard of him. They were an easy bunch to talk to and he wished he had the chance to face off against them to see who the best water trainer was. He suggested they have an unofficial tournament amongst themselves at some point.

It wasn't mandatory for all of the participants to watch each tournament, but Wallace sat in for a fair few, after all when was he ever likely to see something like this again? He made sure not to miss any of the Hoenn ones, water and flying-type tournaments. As their champion and friend he felt he should be there for support. Overall, the World Tournament was tough on those who had been asked to represent their regions, with morning, afternoon and evening sessions they would battle against other superb trainers with one non-league opponent hoping to make their way to the top. Of course that person had to compete in preliminaries to even get that far. He couldn't wait to see who would make it to the champion tournaments. He was sat in the Hoenn evening session when he realised just who would make it in a tournament like this. The girl facing Flannery was older now, but he recognised her and the determination in her eyes. May stood ready to battle and Flannery smiled, more than aware of who this was. If May was here then surely her friend had followed. It would only be a matter of time before Brendan popped up.

Sure enough the first champion tournament featured him, facing off against Steven who was more than happy for a rematch. Wallace took down Blue in a drawn out battle, only to be beaten by Brendan in the next round. That kid was here to win and not even the silent but deadly Red could stop him from taking home the first title. Wallace was luckier in some of the other matches, stealing a win from Cynthia that evening, but he knew that May would probably be in the next day's matches, waiting to beat them all.

The PWT was the most amazing battle experience he'd ever had. Nothing compared to fighting against some of the greatest trainers of the time. It wasn't often he was unsure of whether he could win a battle, but then again back in Hoenn he didn't go looking for tournaments, much preferring to compete in a non-violent contest.

On the last night everyone who had participated, even the non-league participants, were invited to attend a closing party. It was a chance for them to all say goodbye before returning to their home regions. Wallace wondered how many of these people he would actually see again. He had plans to travel to Kanto and Sinnoh to the Grand Festivals, but whether he would actually see anyone was another matter. Misty promised to meet him at the Kanto festival one year, and Cynthia would be there for the Sinnoh one. He made the most of talking to everyone he imagined he'd never see again, especially May and Brendan who would probably drop off the radar again after this.

Steven was spending his time with Cynthia, Lance and Clair, the four of them were sitting round a table with a bottle of wine between them. From where Wallace was sitting they looked like the next Elite Four, ready to take on everyone in the room. Since arriving in Unova he hadn't spent much time with Steven, he preferred to watch the tournaments while Steven would run off to the nearest caves seeing as the champions didn't have to do anything until the last few days. He was looking forward to going home and spending time together after what seemed like a fortnight of not seeing him.

A lot of them ended up staying to socialise until well after midnight. The numbers were slowly dwindling, but Wallace was still there talking to Fantina, a fellow coordinator Juan had introduced him to. Their paths hadn't crossed much, so they had only just properly gotten to know each other. Another person who promised to meet him at the Sinnoh Grand Festival and the way she spoke made him worry that she would beat him. At least Misty was a cool competitor, so she wasn't direct competition unlike Fantina.

By the time Wallace was ready to leave he found that everyone he knew had already left. He'd honestly been expecting to see Steven still around, but clearly he still was somewhere because when Wallace got back to their room Steven wasn't there. Maybe he and his little group had gone elsewhere. He wasn't worried, but he still thought he'd call to check and put his mind at rest. The Nav rang, but no one picked up. He tried again a few minutes later, but there was still no answer. Now he couldn't help but worry just a little. He knew where Cynthia's room was, so he took a trip upstairs. If she was in she would probably know where he was, and if she was out then at least he knew that Steven was probably out with them and he'd just have to live with not knowing.

His hand stopped inches from the door when he heard sounds from inside. It couldn't be… He wanted to believe that what he was hearing was innocent fun, he really did. The only way to be sure was to press his ear to the door. After all, the deeper voice could be anyone. The rhythmic sound of movement accompanied with laboured breathing told him that his initial instinct was right, but he still couldn't tell who she was with. It felt so wrong to stand there listening to this, but he needed to know that it wasn't Steven. Whoever was with her was quieter and hadn't said anything else since before he pressed his ear to the door. Every moment that the other person stayed silent made him more certain that it was Steven.

"Touch them, Steven."

Wallace pulled away from the door. That was all he needed to hear. Anger rose within him and he raised his fist to hit the door. But he faltered, not wanting to see either of them if they answered the door. Instead he rushed down the stairs and stood in the corridor housing the Hoenn participants. Right now he really wanted to talk to Winona… He dialled her number and after a few rings she picked up.

"Wallace?"

"Are you still up?"

"I am now."

"I'm sorry for waking you. Don't worry, I'll talk to you later."

"No, I'm listening. Has something happened?"

He began to walk down the hall. "I just…I need someone to talk to."

"I'm listening, please don't cry."

He paused to collect himself and Winona opened her door. She took his hand and led him inside. "Shall I make some tea?"

Wallace nodded solemnly.

By the time they were both seated with a cup in hand Winona was more awake and Wallace had pulled himself together somewhat.

"So, tell me everything."

Wallace blurted out everything he knew about Steven and Cynthia's relationship and what he had just heard. "…They're just so perfect together. I can see it when I see them together. Why would he ever chose me over her?"

Winona put an arm around him and shushed him. "You just said that they tried and broke it off and you also just told me that he said he's only ever loved you. So, why are you doubting your worth? I'm not trying to excuse whatever's going on upstairs, but I think you need to believe in yourself just a bit more. Wait until tomorrow and see if he says anything. If he doesn't mention it then I'm here to back you up in kicking his ass."

"Thank you."

"Seriously though, from what I've seen, he does care for you so much more than you give him credit for. I'd be surprised if he doesn't come begging for you to forgive him."

"Should I? Does he deserve forgiveness? Can I trust him?"

"Well, that all depends on what he says. Honestly I don't want to deal with you being heartbroken, but if you don't want to be with him anymore, then that's up to you. Do what you feel is right."

Wallace ended up staying in Winona's room that night, not wanting to be woken if Steven returned before he had gotten a good night's sleep. He hadn't been up long when there was a knock on Winona's door. She answered it, looking as cool and composed as could be.

"You haven't seen Wallace have you?" he could hear Steven ask.

"No, have you lost him?" she asked.

"Yeah, and he won't answer his Nav either. I, uh, lost track of things last night. I've got some missed calls from him at about 2am so I'm worried."

Wallace looked at his Nav to see no less than 5 missed calls.

"Maybe he's gone out for a walk. I'll keep an eye out though." Her voice dropped to a whisper and he couldn't make out what she said before closing the door.

"What was that last bit?" Wallace asked.

"Just a bit of advice," Winona said as she resumed packing. Most of them were leaving today, Wallace included. "I'd probably give him some time before you meet."

Winona kept him busy helping her until she decided that he could go back to his room.

Steven was sitting there idly sipping a glass of water. "Wallace!" He jumped up and attempted to reach out for a hug, but Wallace put a hand up to stop him. "I was worried –"

Wallace cut him off with a quick slap to the cheek. _He _was worried? "How could you?"

Steven saw Wallace's stern expression and his face fell. "I…" This wasn't how he'd wanted it to go. How had word travelled so fast? The shame that he felt stopped him from looking at Wallace when he next spoke, instead staring at his shoes. "Wallace, I can't apologise enough. The excuse that I had one too many glasses of wine isn't good enough, so there isn't really an excuse for what I did. I'm just a terrible person. Who told you?"

"I did."

Steven's eyes were wide when he looked up, regret plastered across his face. "I…fuck." Silence filled the room. "I'm so, so sorry. All I can say is I'm sorry you found out that way. The last thing I want to say is that it was a stupid, idiotic mistake and that to me it meant nothing. I still love you, Wallace. I love you exclusively, but I understand if you don't want to see me anymore." With that Steven left the room.

Wallace barely held it together for a few seconds more, the tears he'd been holding in came pouring out. He loved this man so much and he could see just how much Steven regretted it all and that just made him hurt even more. But if this was part of Steven's character then maybe it was for the best that they end it before Wallace was hurt again.

Just as he was pulling himself back together he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"How did it go?" Winona asked softly.

"You were right," he sniffed. "He cares so much and I just can't hold it against him because I love him so much. But it still hurts."

She rubbed his back. "Well then I think everything's going to be okay."

The plane ride back was as awkward as could be. The pair of them hadn't had the time to properly sort things out, in fact the only thing that had happened was Winona had told Steven that Wallace wasn't going to disown him. Now they sat with Winona and Juan between them, neither mentioning anything. Wallace was aware that Steven would be able to hear their conversation and Juan pretty much had no idea what had happened, no one wanting to start going into details right there.

"Are you going back to Ever Grande?" Steven asked when Wallace didn't move as the plane touched down in Sootopolis.

"Yes."

"Do you mind if I do too?" Steven looked so uncomfortable.

"No." Wallace leaned over and touched his shoulder lightly, just a little something to diffuse some of the tension.

When they arrived home they unpacked in near silence before resting on the sofa. They sat at each end, neither of them knowing how to start the conversation.

"Wallace…" Steven hadn't really planned how he was going to voice any of his feelings, but he couldn't take the silence any longer. "I hate to just ask for your forgiveness, especially in a matter like this, but I don't know what else to do. How do I prove that I love you more than anything? I thought about giving you my most treasured stone, but what does that prove? It's a material object that can't ever match up to what I'm trying to say. I could go out tomorrow and find a more amazing stone that I preferred, but you…I could never replace you." Steven placed his hand out on the sofa, hoping that Wallace would take it. "I could tell you over and over how much I love you and never want to let you go, but they're only words."

Wallace placed his hand on top of Steven's and the other gripped it, not willing to let the other go now.

"I don't know what else to say… Please say something, Wallace."

Wallace sighed. "I love you so much, but you really hurt me. I want to forgive you for a drunken mistake, I want to believe that you'd never do something like that in your right mind. But I don't know if I still have the same trust and belief in you. For one, if this happens every time you've had a little too much then I don't think I can live with it."

"I promise you - I promise every rock I own that this was a one off."

"I want to believe you, but I think we need to have a break." It hurt him to say it, but he knew it was for the best.

Steven looked sad as he whispered "Okay."

Wallace stood up and said nothing more for the rest of the night.


	9. Chapter 9

"You did what?!" Winona was on the other end of the Nav.

"I took Juan's advice and moved back to Sootopolis."

"I guess I should congratulate you on being able to take such a he step and cut Steven out for a bit. Honestly, the way you were with him made me think I'd never see the pair of you part."

"We're just on a break at the moment so we can re-evaluate our relationship."

Winona hummed. "How's that going?"

"It's quite liberating at the moment. Imagine – I could find someone who is even more amazing than him."

The other end of the line was silent. Winona couldn't imagine that. No one could imagine that. It wasn't that Steven was the best human to walk the Earth, but when they were together it was difficult to imagine them being with other people.

Everything seemed to return to how it had been, how it would have been if Wallace had returned to being gym leader when Steven returned from Sinnoh…if he hadn't had feelings for the other in the first place. Of course it would be a lie to say that he didn't still think about Steven, but he tried not to. He needed to prove to himself that he could live without him, and so far it was going well. Finally he got round to spending some quality time with Juan, something he hadn't really done since he'd left to cover champion duties.

"So you aren't looking to pursue a career as a coordinator?" Juan asked.

That had been the other option, but for the moment he knew that he would do better as a leader. Until this situation with Steven was completely resolved he didn't want to return to the contest fray.

His conversation with Juan was wonderful though. It reminded him of all the things that lay before him, all the goals he wanted to achieve.

It was a full week before Steven attempted to contact him.

"I miss you," Steven said into his Nav.

It wasn't that Wallace thought him incapable of missing another person, but he had thought Steven would return to his old ways of hiding in a cave and forgetting about everyone. "Do you? Would you say you're finding it hard to live without me? Because I'm finding it easy to live without you."

There was silence on Steven's end. Perhaps it did sound mean, but it was the truth. There was the sound of the call ending.

The next week he received another call.

"I still miss you."

"I still don't."

"You said you loved me. Say you don't."

Wallace stopped in his tracks. A part of him still did…

"Say it, Wallace. I need to hear you say it."

"I won't." This time he disconnected the call.

He could never say that he didn't love the man as a friend. Steven may have betrayed him as a lover, but he still wanted to be friends when Steven was ready.

There was no third call. Instead the following week he received a knock at his door.

"Wallace, please just talk with me."

He invited Steven in and made the usual cup of coffee he'd have. "Did you not think to call ahead to make sure I was available?"

"You always seemed to have time for me in the past."

"I suppose I did. Well, say what you have to say."

"I've come for some advice. You see, I have a friend who has done something terribly stupid to betray a friend's trust. Now he can't even have a proper conversation with that friend and he doesn't know what to do. What would you suggest he does to rectify the situation?"

Wallace smirked, he had to commend Steven on his plan, and so he'd play along. "Well I'd ask what that friend did to betray the other and ask him to reflect on it."

"And I'd tell you that he has thought about it every day, but his friend still won't listen."

"His friend is listening. Otherwise his friend wouldn't have invited him into his house."

Steven smiled. "I'm not going to ask you to take me back or anything. I can see this 'break' is the end. But please just take me back as a friend. You weren't just my lover, you were my best friend too."

"You were a good friend," Wallace admitted.

Steven moved to hug him, but realised that probably wasn't the best reaction right now. "I missed talking to you. So, how are things going?"

Whatever Steven was feeling inside didn't show. They talked like nothing had happened between them. Wallace couldn't help but laugh when Steven showed him the tiny thunderstone he'd found. Maybe Steven had got lonely with no one to talk to about his caving.

"Did you take the chance to talk to Roxanne during the tournament?" Wallace asked. "She's a rock specialist you know."

Steven huffed. "Yeah, I know. She even hands out the _Stone_ badge. I tried to talk to her, but it was… Everything about her is so misleading. She just likes rock Pokémon. We spoke about her digging for fossils, but apart from that she's not a very cave-friendly person."

**OooO**

Life returned to somewhat normal until a young man named Wally came to the face the Elite Four. Steven faced him and lost and asked the usual question, but instead of refusing the offer, Wally took it. It was the end of an era and while Wallace had long since got used to the idea of not being champion, Steven felt a little odd to no longer be running the League.

"Do you think it would have been different if I'd faced him?" Wallace asked.

"No, he would have kept coming back. He really wanted it. But it feels so odd not being there. Maybe one of us should go back and challenge him for the title."

"We...well, you had a good run, but you know the rules state we can only go back if he asks one of us." Wallace said as he wheeled in more of Steven's rocks back into his Mossdeep home. "We're at the top of the list if he ever decides to take a break."

For now Steven was going to be working mainly from home for Devon Corp.

"Well, you know what this means," Steven said, excitement rising in his voice.

"What?"

"We finally have all the time in the world to visit other regions."

"I already had the time," Wallace pointed out.

"Well you've been lazy. Or maybe you didn't want to go alone?"

"I suppose a travelling partner would be preferable."

As the World Grand Festival was next due in Kanto that is where they headed. As agreed, Misty was there to greet them and even played host during their stay. Cerulean city was the perfect spot with 2 very close caves for Steven to get lost in and Saffron city, host of the festival, only a city over.

Steven did say he would go to watch Wallace in the festival, but in the mean time they barely saw each other. His first time in Kanto meant as much time in the caves as humanly possible.

"Look at all these moonstones!" Steven unloaded his haul on Misty's table. He started to pick through them and showcase his favourites, but the two water trainers had been in deep conversation about the differences between the contest categories. Misty was actually a very cool person, even without the water trainer bias. For the duration of the festival she became his Winona, the person he could talk contests with and get support from. He wished everyone could have come to Kanto with him, but then he realised that if they had he wouldn't have been able to make such a great new friend.

This year it was Misty's turn to take the cool contest title, but Wallace was unable to match her. He came third in the beauty contest, which he was pretty happy about all things considered. After the sudden decision to visit Kanto it was no wonder his Pokémon weren't on top form. He did however win his match against Misty which she actually gave him a badge for.

"Oh, you don't have to," he said.

"You beat me fair and square, so it's yours."

Steven stood clapping at the side. "Well done! Only seven more to go!"

"I'm not staying to win them all just so you can stay in caves. You know you can stay here without me if you wish."

"I promised dad I'd go home when you did," Steven muttered.

"How old are you exactly?" Wallace joked.

"Not old enough to know when to stop digging – and I never will be!"

It was almost as if he'd jinxed himself with those words. When Steven returned from Cerulean cave the next evening he knew his fun was over.

"Oh my, Steven, what happened?!" Wallace ran to help him as he hobbled into the house on crutches and sporting a grazed cheek.

"Nothing much. Just a small cave in. There's a really powerful Pokémon in there like nothing I've ever seen before."

"But you're okay? Is there anything I can do?"

"It's just a broken leg. Aggron managed to get me out safely. But yeah, if you have any way to fix a broken bone that'd be really useful right now." Steven frowned. "At this rate I won't be going anywhere fun for weeks…maybe even a few months. Ah well, at least I'm still alive, but it would have been a fitting death."

Wallace looked at him with a seriousness in his eyes. "You said it was a small cave in."

"Yeah, kind of small. I just mean that rock could have landed anywhere and I'm just glad it was my leg. What if it had landed on my spine? Then I'd be really sad."

Wallace took his hand and squeezed it. "I'm just glad you're okay. Don't scare me with all this talk of worse things or I might just have to make sure you never set foot in another cave."

**OooO**

Much to Steven's dismay their trip to Kanto ended soon after his accident and he ended up pretty much housebound while his leg healed. At least he had rocks to work on during his downtime. The peace and quiet in the house was a reminder of how much he'd enjoyed living with Wallace in Ever Grande. By the time the weekend rolled around and Wallace came to visit him he was bored of being cooped up.

"No one's stopping you from going out."

"Have you ever tried walking around in a cast that goes past the knee? It's not fun." Steven huffed from the sofa while Wallace tidied his house.

"Well maybe you should find a way to make your Pokémon useful."

"I do, but I hate tasking them with carrying me everywhere. It's bad enough I use them around the house for support – wait, no, don't go in there!" Steven grabbed a crutch and hobbled towards Wallace who had a hand on his bedroom door.

"Why? What's so secret?" Wallace turned the knob, unable to fathom why he suddenly wasn't allowed in his friend's room.

As he was about to step inside Steven collided with him, intent on pulling Wallace away, but he lost balance and they both toppled forward into the room.

Steven cried out as they hit the floor, even though he had Wallace to break his fall his leg still hit the floor with some force.

"Are you alright?" Wallace asked.

Steven gritted his teeth and smiled. "I'm sure I'll be fine. Might need some help getting up." He lifted himself so he wasn't crushing Wallace.

"So, what's in here that's so secret?" Wallace looked around as he removed himself from the floor. "Oh."

In the corner of a room stood an easel with a canvas, items Wallace hadn't expected to see in Steven's house. Yet it was what was painted on the canvas that caught Wallace's attention. The art wasn't finished, but the portrait of himself was more than recognisable. He didn't know Steven could paint so well…he was smiling over his shoulder with his hair blowing in the wind. He'd not seen a photo that captured him this elegantly.

"It's beautiful."

"Thanks," Steven said from the floor, an arm over his face.

"Why are you painting me?"

"Do you really need to ask?" Steven sighed. "Because you're the most beautiful person I've ever met."

"I would have painted you."

"I didn't just mean aesthetically. You're beautiful inside too. I've never met someone so kind and just all round wonderful. Urgh, no, I'm just going to shut up."

"I'd still probably paint you."

"Wallace, stop. I painted you because I still love you, okay. Just leave me here to wallow in my feelings and forget you saw the painting."

Wallace sat down on the floor and pulled Steven into his lap.

"Please don't take advantage of my inability to run away."

"I want us to try again," he said as he ran a hand through Steven's hair. "I realised last week that life's too short for me to not give you a second chance. I love spending time with you more than anyone else in the world and after all this time we've spent apart recently I see that I do miss you…Steven, I do still have feelings for you, even if I try to deny it. I'm willing to put my trust in you again."

Steven let out the breath he'd been holding. "Wallace, I swear to god, you better not be lying."

"And you better be ready to keep a promise not to break my trust."

Steven turned so that he could look into his eyes. "I swear to you, I will never do that again. If I had any lesson to learn, you can consider it learnt."

Wallace said nothing more, only brought their lips together in what they both considered an overdue kiss.


	10. Chapter 10

**Epilogue**

A few years down the line Wallace would find himself at the top of the contest world, creating a cup in his name due to demand from his fans. Sometimes he'd invite Juan to guest judge alongside him. Winona attended most of them; she was his biggest help in organising them. Steven always went, even if only to discover a new cave. Life had never been better.

"Happy anniversary," Steven said, holding out a small box. "Would you believe it's been five years already?"

Wallace leaned in to kiss him. "And I still love you as much as the first day." He carefully lifted the lid off the box and inside nestled in silk was a water stone. "It represents us perfectly."

Steven smiled. "I thought you would agree. I wanted to engrave our names into it, but I couldn't bring myself to deface such a beautiful stone."

"There are other ways to display our lasting love." Wallace took Steven's right hand and shrugged off one of his rings. He placed it on his ring finger, finding it was a little too large.

Steven watched and sighed when Wallace neglected to look at the ring before putting it on. "There certainly are." He removed the ring and placed it in Wallace's palm. "Look closer."

Wallace held the titanium band up to his face and he caught sight of something on the inner surface. "It's braille. What does it say?"

"My name."

There was a questioning look, but Wallace said nothing. Steven took the ring off of his own ring finger and handed it over. This ring also had braille engraved into it, but it was different.

"My name?" Wallace asked.

Steven nodded. "I hope you think it's an acceptable wedding ring."

Wallace bit his lip, trying to control his smile. "Is that a proposal?"

"I wouldn't be opposed to spending the rest of my life with you."

His heart wouldn't stop pounding as he threw his arms around Steven. "Please tell me you're serious."

Steven hugged him tightly. "Of course."

Wallace was waiting for Steven to make a witty joke about how he wanted this to proceed, but he said nothing more, only holding him close. He guessed that meant he was as serious as could be.

It took until they were lying in bed for Steven to mention anything more. "Can we get married in a cave?"

Not only was he asking to marry into the Stone family, but also into a life of stones.

A/N: A big thanks to cherrytruck on AO3 for helping me to better craft the end of this fic.


End file.
